We Won't be Seventeen Forever
by J.Benz
Summary: How the story would have gone if Jacob was already in Bella's life before the Cullens showed up. Renee & Charlie stayed married, which means Bella grew up in Forks and with Jacob. What is Jake & Bella's relationship like? And will Edward threaten it?
1. The Pack

**A/N: Hey guys- I'm back with my second fic!!**

**Hopefully I've improved a bit :)**

**So this is going to be in Bella's POV. First chapter is mostly narrative so that you know where we are starting from. AH right now, not sure where it will lead ;)**

**Title is from the song 'Seventeen Forever' which belongs to Metro Staion.**

**Disclaimer: And the characters are from Twilight, which belong to Stephanie Meyer. **

CH1 BPOV

"Ew, Em, you're disgusting," I laughed. Leah smacked him on the back of the head, rolling her eyes.

"You know you love it Bella," Embry teased.

"There _are _girls here, you know," Leah said, "you can't act like total pigs."

"Girls?" Quil picked his head up. "Where?" He purposely looked past Leah and I, lounging on the couch in front of him. Leah threw an empty soda can at his head, with perfect aim. The guys laughed.

Despite my effort, I found myself laughing right along with the guys. Leah and I had been part of the gang – Sam, Paul, Jared, Embry, Jacob, and Quil – for so long that we weren't affected by their bad manners.

We did pick up on some of their bad habits, however. For example, devouring large amounts of pizza and soda in Jake's living room.

Currently, Jacob, Sam, Jared, and Paul were glued to the television screen where they were dueling each other in Madden – some football game I refused to play because they cheated.

"Are we going to First Beach later?" Quil asked. Quil is the baby of the group, the youngest. Except when Leah's little brother Seth was around. Leah, Paul, Sam, and I are seniors, finally, Quil, Jacob, and Embry are sophomores, and Jared's in the middle, a junior.

"Leah and I are going shopping," I announced, and the group chuckled. Leah groaned. "Oh, come on Leah, we need to establish ourselves as hot upperclassmen this year." I waggled my eyebrows at her.

This set the guys off in a raucous of laughter.

Paul was doubled over, clutching his sides. "You? . . .and . . .Leah?" He managed to get out between laughs and gasps for air.

"Oh, shut up," I growled.

"Ten bucks on Leah!" I heard Sam shout, abandoning his video game controller.

Leah pounced on Paul, beginning to wrestle him – another usual occurrence. Leah was strong, and stubborn, and definitely one of the guys. If I was being honest, Paul scared me sometimes. He lost his temper too quickly. But Leah wasn't afraid of anything.

I had a few shreds of girly girl in me, thanks to my mom, Renee. But I also know how to throw a punch – my Chief of Police father Charlie made sure of that.

They were such opposites, my parents, that it was a wonder they ever had anything in common. My mother is spontaneous and outgoing, sometimes reckless, whereas my Dad is stricter, more regimented and stable, and much more of a worrier. I guess that comes with the territory of being a father, though.

Tonight, Renee had insisted she treat me and Leah to some shopping and girl time before school started in two days.

"Hey!" Jacob shouted. Leah had pinned Paul down, don't ask me how, but then he flipped them over, hitting into the coffee table. "If you break it Paul, I swear you're going to pay for the next one!" We laughed when he jumped in on the action, prying Paul from Leah.

"Aw, come on Jake! I was about to be ten bucks richer!" Quil whined.

"No way, Leah had him," Sam argued.

Leah laughed and smoothed out her hair. I grabbed her hand, towing her behind me, picking up empty cans on my way to the door. I didn't want Jake to get in trouble, again.

"Bye guys!" I called. "We'll see you at First Beach tomorrow, okay?" We were spending our last day of summer on the beach, and a bonfire later on, of course.

"Later Bella." Jake leaped up, giving me a quick hug and Leah a fist-bump before we left.

"Bye hot senior ladies," Embry laughed. I rolled my eyes. Sam and Jared gave quick salutes in our direction.

As soon as I shut the door I heard the guys getting on Jake – whistling and making catcalls.

"Oh, shut it. Before I do it for you," he threatened.

The guys always teased Jake and I about our relationship. We were closest to each other, since I've know him since he was born. That's how I met everyone else from the reservation, through Jake, because I was the only one of us who went to Forks High School. The rest of them all went to school on the reservation. I was thrilled when Leah came along, I was sick of being the only girl.

We hopped in my old red truck that my Dad had bought from Billy. It was a good and reliable first car.

"If you don't want to do this thing with my Mom I could just tell her I'll go with her another time. We could just stay in and watch movies or something," I offered.

"No, it's okay. I'm in dire need of some clothes anyway." I don't think either one of us would have agreed, though, if we knew what Renee had planned.

We drove to the Port Angeles mall, and stopped in almost every single store. Although we did have a good time, trying on a bunch of things and not limited by price tags, we were both exhausted when we reached our last stop, the nail salon.

Renee swore up and down that manicures and pedicures boosted self esteem and confidence, and that when you looked good, you felt good, too.

So, we were sitting in pedicure chairs, when I confronted Leah. She had been excited during our shopping trip, something I hadn't expected. She had also gotten some cute things, sexy even, and that was not the Leah I knew. She was definately a jeans and tee shirt kind of girl. Actually, come to think of it. . .had I ever seen Leah in a dress? Nope.

"I can't believe how much stuff we bought! I'll have a new outfit to wear every day for the whole year." We laughed. Okay, so maybe not a new one every day, but pretty close. Renee had insisted on paying for everything, for both of us- which included every type of clothing, shoe, and accessory imaginable.

"Totally," Leah said, agreeing with my earlier statement.

"Ready to dazzle all those senior boys?" I said, only half joking. Leah blushed.

Leah Clearwater. Was. Blushing.

I'd never seen her blush before. Another first. "Leah!"

"Maybe," she muttered.

"Alright, so who's the lucky guy?"

"It's nothing."

"Leah," I began as we climbed down from the chairs, careful to walk on our heels, "it's so _not _nothing. I've never seen you like this."

"Okay, but swear you won't say anything? We're keeping in on the down low right now." I was floored.

There was a 'we' already? And here I was thinking it was just a crush.

"Remember how we made a pact never to date one of the guys?" She said, referring to our group of friends on the reservation. I gasped. It was one of us, no way!

_I'd better not be Jacob, _a voice in my head growled. Whoa, where the hell did that come from?

Leah spoke again before I could think about that too much. "It's Sam."

"Sam? Sam Uley? You and Sam?"

"Yeah," she whispered, "me and Sam." The look on her face led me to believe this wasn't a new thing.

"For how long?"

She sighed, but with a smile on her face. "The bonfire after my birthday."

"But," I calculated dates in my head, "that was four weeks ago!"

She nodded, then saw the expression on my face. "Bella, I was gonna tell you soon, I swear. We just have been keeping it to ourselves. It's not a big deal, I don't know if we're even _dating _yet. We went out once and we've been talking a lot, that's all. Don't be mad, 'kay?"

I couldn't be mad at Leah. Besides, there were things I hadn't told her about. Like the new feelings for Jake that have kept popping into my head randomly, and unwanted at that. "Of course I'm not mad. I think that's really great, Lee. You guys do make a cute couple." She blushed again. "Oh, Leah, don't let him make you into a softie, alright? I already miss the 'hard-ass, one-of-the-guys Leah'."

"Please," she laughed, "no one is getting rid of her."

We looked for Renee, who had been doing more shopping, and finally got in the car to drive home. After arranging the bags in the backseat so that there was room for us to sit, Leah got comfortable and almost immediately fell asleep.

Renee woke us up when we reached our house, eager to bring in all of our bags.

"Thanks again, Renee," Leah said. My mom insisted everyone call her Renee, never Mrs. Swan.

"Of course! I love spending time with you girls! Makes me feel young – not that I'm old or anything," she added.

I thought about what my Dad's reaction would be when he got the bill for all of this. I smiled, picturing his red face as he lectured my mom about her spending, and then when he apologized for doing so. Although being Chief of Police meant at work he was demanding and in charge, my dad always gave into my Mom. She got away with whatever she wanted.

Their relationship was pretty common for a small town like Forks – high school sweethearts, my mom got pregnant, and my dad proposed fresh out of high school. Now, married for seventeen years, yes, they had their problems, but they were happy.

My mom was always pushing me to go to college, some big university, and study whatever I wanted, don't settle for the first thing that comes my way. She'd always dreamed of getting out of our small town , and I inherited that dream. It wasn't because she's pushed it on me, but I wanted to go somewhere bigger, and break the small-town cycle.

It took Leah, me, and my mom two trips to carry all the bags inside and lug them upstairs to my room. Leah and I separated our things, although we would probably end up borrowing each other's clothes anyway.

Renee popped into my room with dessert, but that was the last we saw of her for the night. Leah was staying over, so I filled up the air mattress and put it next to my bed once it was covered with sheets.

"So, tell me all the details," I grilled Leah.

She sighed. "There's not much to tell, Bella."

"You are a bad liar."

"You're worse!" She laughed.

"Okay, true," I admitted, "but I want details!"

"Fine, fine. Sam asked me to go out with him after my birthday, like I told you. He took me to this cute restaurant, I don't think you know it, it's on the reservation, and we just talked. He's really sweet, Bella, you have no idea. I didn't even realize it. He is so different around the guys. But after that he started calling me every night, and he told me he wants us to be exclusive." She had this far away look on her face, like she was thinking of something else.

"Oh my God, Leah! He kissed you!"

"What? No," she denied.

"Again with the bad lying!" I laughed, throwing a handful of popcorn at her.

"Okay. Once. Bella, it was amazing," she giggled.

"Leah, Leah, Leah," I sighed.

"Oh, please. Like you aren't totally in love, too."

"Excuse me?"

"Bella, you and Jacob need to get past this whole awkward-best-friends-but-maybe-more thing and just do it already."

"Me and Jake are just friends!" I exclaimed.

Leah rolled her eyes. "And I'm the bad liar."

"Just think about it Bella. You guys can come out with Sam and I and we can double!"

"Whoa.." I held out my hand. "You are getting _way _ahead of yourself.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't have any romantic feelings for Jacob."

Damn.

"I don't have any romantic feelings for Jake," I muttered.

"I said my eyes, Bella, not the floor," Leah laughed.

"Okay, maybe I have some feelings for Jake."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I trust him, I've known him since literally forever, and I love him as a friend, and he's always been there for me."

"That's a start." Leah popped an M & M in her mouth, watching me sort out my feelings.

I shrugged. "It's really not a big deal. You just think you can play matchmaker now that you're all coupled up," I teased.

"If you say so."

**A/N: What do you think??**

**I looove reviews :) **


	2. First

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews! Each one means so much! As do the favorites/alerts :)**

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringment intended. Twilight and it's characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.**

CH 2 BPOV

Our spirits were always festive at the end-of-summer bonfire. These had been going on annually since I could remember. Give the reservation boys anything and they would make it a reason to have a bonfire on the beach.

But I always enjoyed them. The colors the driftwood made when it was burning were beautiful.

Tonight was an especially interesting night, because Leah and Sam decided to enlighten the whole pack as to their relationship. I was happy for her, and Sam. Seeing Leah happy was great, as her best friend, and I did my best to ignore the twinge of jealously that threatened to surface when I saw him kiss her or when she sat on his lap.

It had died down since earlier this evening, when some of my friends from Forks came to spend the last night of summer. Jessica and Lauren had gotten completely trashed - off of the alcohol they had brought. Mike had to drive them home; I'd never seen him so uncomfortable.

Now it was only Sam, Leah, Jacob, me, and Quil who remained, sitting around the fire, all thinking about the doom of starting another school year. And for Sam, Leah, and I, our last school year. It was too strange to think about, not being in high school anymore, and still being unsure about what comes next, so I didn't think about it.

Sam and Leah were in their own world, and Quil looked close to passing out. Actually, I examined his sleeping form sprawled out on the sand, a safe distance from the fire. Yep, he was passed out. Trying to keep up with the girls had done him no good - they wore him out. He wasn't going to have a good morning.

I was sitting next to Jake until he got up and held out his hand. "Take a walk with me." One look at my expression and he knew exactly what I was thinking. He laughed and shrugged off his sweatshirt, throwing it in my lap. The end of summer meant chilly nights in Forks.

I pulled Jake's sweatshirt over my head, inhaling his unique scent that I never got tired of. I adjusted the sleeves, since he was a bit bigger than me, fixed the hood, and pulled my hair out of the collar and over my shoulder. Dusting off my shorts, I stood up to find Jake staring at me, softly smiling.

I laughed. "What?"

"Nothing," he said as his smile got wider. He reached for my hand and I let him take it while leading me toward the water and down the beach.

We shared a comfortable silence, listening to the empty night. There was never any pressure to fill that silence when I was with Jake, never any need to be anyone other than Bella.

Just me.

Jake sat down on a fallen log once we could only see a trace of the bonfire and pulled me down next to him. I had this sudden urge to lean my head on his shoulder.

So that's what I did. Jake and I had blurred the friendship lines awhile ago. He was my first friend, and when you know someone that long, it's inevitable that you feel something for them.

Growing up, Jake and I shared a lot of our first milestones together.

First steps, first words, first school dance, first date, first kiss . . .

Granted, the school dance was when I was in the seventh grade and Jake was in fifth, and we went in a group, and the first date was technically a double - where Jake and I weren't each others date. And the first kiss was on a dare, so I wasn't sure it counted.

I wondered if Jake and I would share any more 'firsts'. . .

I blushed, grateful that Jake couldn't see my face. Instead, he wrapped his arm around my body, pulling me closer to him.

"Did you know about Sam and Leah?" Jake asked suddenly.

"Leah told me yesterday." He chuckled. "What?" I asked, tilting my head so I could look at him.

"Leah can keep a secret better than Sam."

"What do you mean?" I sat up and stared at Jake. No way he knew before me!

"Sam told us before he asked her out." And I was the last to know? Nice. Jacob saw my frown and laughed again.

"Silly Bella. If you had been more observant you would have seen something was going on."

"I am observant!" I argued.

"Really?" Jake snorted.

"Yes."

"I don't think so Bella."

"And why the hell not?" Knowing Jake for so long also had disadvantages, only a few. Such as - he knew exactly what to say to piss me off. And he knew exactly what to say and do to get me to forgive him.

"Bella," he sighed. "Come here." He held his arm out for me to curl into him again. I folded my arms across my chest, difficult since the sweater was so cumbersome. Jake surpressed a laugh from behind tight lips, but I saw his amusement in his eyes. He wasn't going to insult my observation skills and get off that easy. But he was as stubborn as I was.

He scooted over the few inches that I had pulled away and wrapped both his arms around me. My angriness wavered, but I didn't forget it. I struggled against his grasp and he growled.

"Jake," I laughed, "Why am I not observant?" He smiled when he saw me pouting, and it was hard to keep a sad face.

"Because," he whispered after a moment. "If you were observant," he moved his face closer to mine, so close that I could feel his breath, "you would know. . . " He drifted off, or I didn't hear the rest of his explanation. He looked away.

"What would I know, Jake?" I turned his face to me, and our noses brushed against each other. His dark eyes held mine in a locked gaze. I probably couldn't look away if I'd tried.

I didn't try.

"You would know. . ." And he stopped again. Okay, if this boy didn't finish his sentence soon I was -

Totally not going to worry about it. Because I had more pressing matters on hand. Jake's eyes fluttered close and I inhaled a labored breath.

He was so close - I heard his pounding heart beat, and it drowned out any other sound. My brain might have even shut down, because when he pressed his lips to mine, my body was in control.

He tasted like. . . well, Jacob. His lips were soft and gently moving against my own. It felt amazing. Even better when the palm of his hand lightly rested against my cheek, and my body leaned forward into him.

I don't know how long we kissed for. But as soon as our lips parted, my mind took over again and realization hit me like a ton of bricks. Jacob Black just kissed me. And I kissed him back. And I can't imagine kissing anyone else for the rest of my life.

My forehead rested against Jake's; his eyes were still closed and I heard him try to regulate his breathing.

"That I'm in love with you," he whispered.

That was the end of the sentence? If I was observant. . . I would know . . .that Jake was in love with me.

Jake was in love with me?

Jake was in love with me!

Jacob Black is in love with me, Bella Swan.

I needed to think this over; my mind was being flooded by new thoughts and feelings, and old memories, too.

This kiss was definitely better than three years ago, the one that happened because of Embry's dare.

"Bella?" Jake asked, worry and apprehension lacing his voice. He had pulled away more, searching my face.

"Yeah?" Okay, maybe that wasn't the reaction he was looking for. Did he want me to say I loved him back? Did I love him back?

Yes, that answer I knew for sure. I loved Jake. But was I i_n love_ with him? I panicked.

"I need time to think." Jake nodded, slowly, breaking eye contact. Crap! I said that out loud?! Ugh, I didn't mean to. He began to stand up. I reached for him in desperation - he couldn't walk away from me now.

"Wait, Jake." When he didn't sit back down, I stood up, grabbing a fistful of his shirt in my haste to pull myself up. "Jake, I . . .I-"

"Bella! Jacob!" I spun around, debating whether I was extremely grateful or extremely pissed off that Leah and Sam chose now to come running down the beach toward us. Leah raised her eyebrows, to out of breath to comment.

I bit my lip, shooting her a panicked look. I noticed, but didn't move, when I felt Jacob wrap his arms around my shoulders from behind me and rest his chin on the dip between my neck and my shoulders.

Thankfully, Leah didn't comment, and Sam had enough decency, or tact, or he just didn't care enough to say anything.

"We were looking for you guys to say goodbye. I'm going to head out and take Leah home. We woke Quil up enough to get him home, and the fire's out," Sam informed us.

I didn't admit it, but it felt so great having Jacob hold me. I felt warm, and safe, and loved. But I stumbled when he began to walk forward, his feet rushing mine.

He chuckled under his breath. "We'll walk back with you," Jake told them. "Put one foot in front of the other," he whispered in my ear. His lips skimmed the top of my ear and i shivered, losing my balance for a second time.

I had to put my hands out in front of me to catch myself from making a face-plant into the sand. Jake laughed, and he pulled me up by the waist, making the smarter choice of walking next to me and not directly behind me.

"Told ya so," Leah snickered.

"Shut up!"

**A/N: Show me some love! ReViEw :)**

**Also- there is a poll on my profile and I'd like your advice? Should Emily be involved in this story later on? Should Sam imprint on Emily? Or would we rather see Leah & Sam together?? Let me know!!**


	3. The Cullens

**A?N: Hi everybody! Sorry for the delayed update, but unfortunately, life got pretty crazy for a few days.**

**Anyways, here is the next chapter of Seventeen Forever, I hope you like it! Don't forget to go to my profile and vote in the poll regarding Sam/Leah/Emily action in this story.**

**I borrowed some words from the wonderful and talented Mrs. Meyer, and those are in bold.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight! Anything from Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer, not me!**

CH 3 BPOV

True to form in Forks, Washington – it rained on the first day of school. I hoped that it was not a sign of how my senior year was going to go.

My truck coughed and sputtered as I navigated her into a tight parking spot. Grabbing my bag, I pulled my hood over my head and ran inside to my first class – economics.

I rushed and shuffled to a seat in the back, where I saw Angela sitting attentively, fresh, crisp notebook and brand new pen arranged in front of her. We were dressed very similar – jeans and a hooded sweater to shield us from the rain. Angela and I were a lot alike. No need to dress up on the first day – we've all been going to school together since kindergarten; we've seen each other in sweatpants and t-shirts, on bad hair days, days when we had to rush out of the house with no makeup on- it happens.

"How was your summer, Bella? I feel like I haven't seen you in so long!"

"Great, Ang. Thanks. Didn't do much. How was Europe?"

"Amazing," she smiled. She had gone abroad to study in some medical program so I hadn't seen much of her over the summer break. But that was all we had time for because the teacher called the class to attention.

By the time third period rolled around, the school was abuzz with gossip. What happened over the summer – who hooked up, who broke up, who lost too much weight. All things I didn't have the slightest interest in finding out. I had fourth hour with Jessica – who sauntered in late.

Despite the weather, she donned a pair of dark skinny jeans and a white top that screamed 'expensive', paired with white wedge heels I wouldn't dare try to walk in. Her hair was piled on top of her head in casual curls that looked easy and effortless but I knew she spent all morning on them. She had a deep tan- which I didn't notice yesterday – and an oversized pair of Gucci sunglasses I guessed were to hide the bags under her eyes. She popped two aspirin and guzzled water as soon as she sat down, sighing dramatically. She was definitely something.

At lunch, I heard the latest and greatest gossip. Although I hadn't seen any of them yet – apparently there were new students. Why would anyone want to move to Forks? Five of them, just moved here with their adoptive parents. I wondered how people had all this information already.

I sat down with Mike, Tyler, Angela, Ben, Lauren and Jessica, who, without fail, had every juicy detail.

"**There's Edward, Emmett and Alice Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. They all live together with Dr. Carlise Cullen and his wife. They're all **_**together**_** thought," **Jessica continued, "**Emmett and Rosalie and Alice and Jasper, I mean. And they live together."** **Her voice held the shock and condemnation of this small town **– exactly what I tried to avoid.

I bit into my apple and began to scan the cafeteria to see who else shared fifth hour lunch with us. Jessica continued and I listened with faint interest."

"My mom, since she's a nurse and everything, she met Dr. Cullen. They moved here a week ago. **Dr. Cullen is really young, in his twenties or early thirties. But the kids are all adopted. The Hales – the blondes – are brother and sister- twins. They're foster children."**

Now it was Lauren's turn to reveal what she heard. I rolled my eyes. Lauren was even more superficial and dramatic than Jessica.

"**Jasper and Rosalie are both eighteen, but they've been with Mrs. Cullen since they were eight. She's their aunt or something like that.**" Her tone was so judgmental, I had to interject.

"**That's really nice – for them to take care of all those kids like that, when they're so young and everything.**"

"**I think Mrs. Cullen can't have any kids,**" she responded, **as if that lessened their kindness. **

Throughout the rest of the day I heard more and more rumors about the Cullens – I didn't debate whether they were true or not.

"**They just moved down here from somewhere in Alaska."**

"**Edward's gorgeous. Apparently none of the girls here are good-looking enough for him."**

"They look so different. It's creepy."

I felt bad for these new students – to be under the judging and scrutinizing eyes of every student here. I wasn't sure of what it was like to move to a different state and start a new school, but I'm sure it was hard enough without the gossip.

My last class of the day was an English elective – I had selected creative writing. Seemed easy enough to allow me to slack off a bit.

Mrs. Cope assigned up a simple task – write a short essay on summer vacation. It was a bit juvenile- 'what I did over my summer vacation' – but it was easy so I didn't protest.

I smiled as I wrote, remembering all the late nights at Jacob's with the gang, or Leah's bonfire. The nights Leah and I had stayed up late watching bad romance flicks, or the days spent lounging on the beach. It didn't take long for my hand to stop writing and my mind to wander, though, as I thought about Leah and Sam's budding romance, and then my own rapidly changing relationship with Jacob.

I could almost still feel his kiss – if I really thought about it. And he told me he loved me. I didn't get to say it back, because Leah had pulled me into her house as soon as we got there, demanding a play-by-play, forcing me to say a quick goodbye to Jake.

It had kept me up late last night, replaying the scene over and over in my head. And I had made a decision- I was going to tell Jake I loved him, too.

The bell rang and we shuffled out, dropping our papers in a pile on the teacher's desk.

It had stopped raining, but was still damp and foggy outside. Leaning up against a shiny silver Volvo were the five new students, and suddenly I knew what everyone was talking about.

**They didn't look anything alike. Of the three boys, one was big – muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark, curly hair. Another was taller, leaner, but still muscular, and honey blond. The last was lanky, less bulky, with untidy bronze-colored hair. He was more boyish than the other, who looked like they could be in college, or even teachers here rather than students.**

**The girls were opposites. The tall one was statuesque. She had a beautiful figure, the kind you saw on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, the kind that made every girl around her take a hit on her self-esteem just by being in the same room. Her hair was golden, gently waving to the middle of her back. The short girl was pixielike, thin in the extreme, with small features. Her hair was a deep black, cropped short and pointing in every direction.**

**And yet, they were all exactly alike. Every one of them was chalky pale, paler than all the students living in this sunless town, including me. **

**They had very dark eyes despite the range in hair tones. They also had dark shadows under those eyes – purplish, bruise like shadows. As if they were all suffering from a sleepless night, or almost done recovering from a broken nose. Though their noses, all their features, were straight, perfect, angular.**

**But all this was not why I couldn't look away. I stared because their faces, so different, so similar, were all devastatingly, inhumanely beautiful. They were faces you never expected to see except perhaps on the airbrushed pages of a fashion magazine or painted by an old master as the face of an angel. It was hard to decide who was the most beautiful – maybe the perfect blond girl or the bronze-haired boy.**

They weren't talking to each other, but they appeared to be waiting on something, or someone. The blond girl tapped her foot and folded her arms impatiently. Other students around me were clearly talking and staring. I was surprised everyone was being so rude. But I was drawn to the new group of students, so I began to walk towards them, hoping to prove that all of the population here weren't rude and arrogant, by introducing myself.

A strong gust of wind blew from behind me, sending a chill down my spine. My hair flew unattractively in front of my face and, embarrassed, I hurried to put in back in place before they could see what a mess I was.

When I successfully gathered my hair and it wasn't blocking my vision, I was stopped dead in my tracks.

A pair of dark coal black eyes belonging to the bronze-haired boy were staring right at me. His body went rigid, and he met my eyes **with the strangest expression on his face – it was hostile, furious.**

**The phrase **_**if looks could kill**_** suddenly ran through my mind.**

I looked away quickly, breathing a sigh of relief when my cell phone began ringing, loudly. I took one more glance before I dug around in my bad, but instantly regretted it.

**He was glaring at me, his black eyes full of revulsion. **Faster than I could process, the small girl with dark hair placed a delicate hand on his shoulder. It looked like she was directing him into the car. They were all in and speeding away before I could take another breath.

"Aw, Bella, you scared them away," laughed Jessica, coming up behind me. My ringing cell phone long forgotten.

"What did you do?" Lauren demanded.

"Nothing. I didn't do anything," I murmured, still shocked and focused on the spot they had just been in.

Lauren snorted and she and Jessica linked arms, walking away. I tightened my jacket around my body and climbed into my truck.

I dialed Leah's number in a haste. "Leah? How fast can you get to my house?"

**A/N: A little on the short side, sorry!**

**Tell me what you thought! Was it a good idea to refer to the original description of the Cullens? How should Bella find out about their secret? Should she find out at all?**

**Leave me your opinions and criticism please!**

**Reviews give me motivation :)**


	4. Girlfriend

**A/N: Thank you for the favorites/ alerts/ and reviews!**

**Here is the next chapter - I hope you enjoy the J/B luv!! **

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and it's characters. I'm just playing with them :) Anything that you recognize (such as the words in bold) are from Twilight. **

CH 4 BPOV

"Well, your first day of school was definitely more interesting than ours."

We were at Jake's house, sitting on the floor in his living room. I had just explained the appearance of the Cullens, the new students. Leah was as equally baffled by their behavior as I was. The guys shrugged it off – they weren't really interested – well, except for the part where I got to the perfect blond girl. Then they listened.

"Besides, no one can be paler than you, Bella," Sam teased.

"Leah!" I demanded playfully. "Control your man!"

"Sam," Leah giggled and swatted him on the arm. He grabbed her and gently pulled her to sit on his lap, raking kisses all over her face.

"That's not what I meant!"

"Hey!" Jared hit Sam's back with a pillow from the couch. "No PDA! I thought we had an agreement!"

I laughed, and the other guys turned away with mock horror.

"I think I'm blind," Quil muttered.

Sam laughed loudly with a broad smile on his face, and Leah smiled proudly in his arms. I was glad that their dating had not affected the group dynamic too much, otherwise things could have easily gotten awkward between everyone. But gratefully, it didn't change. Leah made sure that she didn't ditch me for Sam, and I appreciated that I still had time with her.

"I think you should find out more about them. Make friends with them and then find their secret." Leah's voice reminded me of someone trying to tell a ghost story meant to be scary. It would have worked if she could keep a straight face.

We heard something crash in the kitchen. Jake jumped up.

"Dad? You alright?" Billy wheeled himself into view, his face drained of all its color.

"What's wrong?"

"Stay away from the Cullens." He said grimly. I almost laughed because Billy was never so serious, but then I realized he wasn't joking.

"Why?" Paul asked.

"Just stay away from them, Bella. They – they're not good. . . people."

"Oh. Do you know them? They just moved here." Billy never left the reservation, except for the occasions when he came to visit my parents or to go fishing with my Dad or Harry, Leah's father. Jake said Billy always liked to be close to home. None of this explains how Billy would have ran into any of the Cullens.

"I. . . I just know." He spun himself around and was out of the room before any of us could say anything else.

Jake shrugged, never one to get embarrassed by his parents, unlike the rest of us.

Jared began to stand up. "Keep us updated Bella. If we have to go kick some ass, we will." I laughed, always ready for action, these boys.

"Sure, sure." I was positive that would not be necessary.

"I'm out. Later guys." Jared and Paul left, and Sam and Leah soon after. Quil and Embry still had curfews, so they left reluctantly at ten o'clock. When I realized it was going to be just Jacob and I, my stomach began to do flips. I did my best to hide it. Since when was I nervous around Jake? He was my best friend.

Well, since he told me he loved me, I guess.

"Want to go down to the beach?" Jake asked.

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

"I'll just go tell my Dad." Jake walked into the kitchen and walked out with a strange expression on his face.

"I don't know what you said," she started, "but something has my dad freaked out. He's calling everyone – I think he's on the phone with Harry now."

"Why?"

Jake shrugged and ushered me out of the house. We walked down the beach in silence. Why was it that I could say anything to Jake, and then after he kisses me I don't know what to say?

"I'm going to try and talk to them again tomorrow. Maybe they just didn't know anyone and that's why they were keeping their distance." I had thought about the Cullens a lot today- especially the bronze-haired boy. Something weird was going on and I wanted to find out.

Jake sighed. "Bella. Don't get caught up with all this, okay? Maybe they're just different. They don't have to be hiding something."

"Caught up? Jake, I just want to know - "

"Don't forget about . . .me." He whispered. "And what I told you last night."

"I could never forget about you, Jake." He smiled, and acting solely on instinct, I raised my arms to his neck and pulled him down to kiss him.

Kissing Jake was like nothing I had ever felt before. His lips were warm and eager against my own. We moved against each other in perfect synchrony. Jake's hands found my waist and his fingertips left invisible lines across my skin. I couldn't describe what it felt like.

He traced circles on my lower back with his hands in reverence. And soon, Jake was moving faster, with more force and desire. He gripped my hips and pulled me into his body, where I could feel every counter of his body against mine.

The hand on my waist trailed downwards to rest of my hip, underneath my shirt, as the other tangled in my hair. Jake's tongue demanded entrance to my mouth, which I granted.

My body ached to have more of him.

Before things got any further than that, he pulled away, ending the make out sessions with soft pecks on my lips, forehead, and cheeks.

"Wow, Bella," he murmured, and I remembered I was the one who initiated the kiss. My body's actions confirmed my earlier suspicions. I didn't just love Jacob Black, I was totally, completely, and irrevocably _in love_ with Jacob.

"I love you, Jake."

"I know." He smirked. I laughed and hit his shoulder.

"What?" He laughed. "It's true. I was just waiting for you to say it. And now that you have, I can ask you to be my girlfriend." This boy is unbelievable.

"I know." I mimicked him, but I couldn't keep a straight face, and we both burst out laughing.

"Come on," he said, grabbing my hand, "we should get you home before Charlier sends out a search party." I rolled my eyes.

"Okay."

Since Leah had driven to my house after school, and then driven us to the reservation, Jake offered to give me a ride home, which, of course, I had accepted.

Even though he's only 16 and he just got his license, I trusted him. And I wanted to spend more time with him.

He maneuvered the car with one hand while holding my hand with his other.

"You never gave me an answer, Miss Swan."

"And answer to what?" I played dumb, loving to see his smile.

"Bella," he warned.

"Okay, okay," I giggled. With pride in my voice I was able to give him an answer. "Yes, Jacob. I'll be your girlfriend."

He kissed me sweetly before dropping me off, and I skipped to the door.

"Don't trip!" Jake teased before speeding away. I was laughing until Charlie opened up the door with an expression on his face that made me go silent.

"Do you know what time it is?" He demanded.

"Um. . ."

"Oh, Charlie," I heard my mom call from inside, "relax."

He huffed and moved so I could get inside.

"How was school honey?" My mom asked. I sat across from her. She was in a night gown, drinking her nightly coffee. Self-diagnosed caffeine addict, that was my mom.

"Pretty good. I went over to Jake's with the gang after school."

"You could have called one of us!" Charlie exclaimed. I was surprised- since I was either always at home or on the reservation with my friends. And my parents knew that.

"Charlie, calm down," my mom scolded. "Bella is a responsible grown woman. Isn't there a game on or something?"

"Not at this hour," he grumbled, and joined us at the table.

"There's five new students at the high school – the Cullens. Three juniors and a senior."

"That's nice. Did you get to speak to them? I'm sure they were very popular today."

"No. I tried to. But everyone was saying all this bad stuff about them. And they did seem kind of shady."

"**People in this town," Charlie muttered. "Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon who could possibly work in any hospital in the world, make ten times the salary he is going to get here," he continued, getting louder. "We're lucky to have him – lucky that his wife wanted to live in a small town. He's an asset to the community, and all of those kids are well-behaved and polite."**

Renee looked as surprised as I did. **It was the longest speech I've ever heard Charlie make. He must feel strongly about whatever people were saying.**

"Well," my mom began, "I'm sure Bella will get a chance to know them better soon."

"Of course," I amended. This seemed to please my father, and we went without another outburst.

I was getting ready for bed when my mom knocked on the door. At this point I was exhausted; the only thing I wanted to do was climb in bed and dream of kissing Jacob again. My boyfriend. How cool did that sound?

"Bella?"

"Come in Mom." She came in and sat at the edge of my bed while I flittered around the room, picking up dirty laundry and getting my books ready for tomorrow.

"Anything else happen today?" She looked at me knowingly. I flashed through my possible things I had done she had found out about, but came up empty. I stared at her blankly.

"No. Why?"

She shrugged. "Just wondering if there's a guy I should know about." I instantly blushed. "Aha! There is a guy I should know about," she concluded, obviously pleased with herself. "I'm good at this. Mayeb I should become a private detective."

"Mon," I groaned. "Okay. Don't tell Dad yet, alright? I want to tell him."

She clapped her hands, clearly excited to be the first one hearing the news.

"Mom," I scolded.

"Okay, sorry." She sat on her hands. "Continue."

"I'm kind of dating Jacob."

"I knew it!" She pumped her fist in the air.

"How did you know?"

"Oh, honey. It's so obvious. You've always had a thing going on with that boy." I tried to protest. "Now, now. I'm supportive, but just hear me out, okay? You're only eighteen, and still have a lot ahead of you. College, and a career and all the experiences that go along with each of those. So don't let anything stop you or hinder you from your dreams. But I know you like Jake, baby, I'm happy for you." She ran her fingers through my hair like she did when I was younger.

"I know, Mom. I still want to go to college and everything. Jake would never try to stop me from that."

"Well that's good to hear. Now, I've called the women's clinic and made you an appointment next month. Remember that-"

"Wait. An appointment for what?" She rolled her eyes, as if the answer was common knowledge and I should know.

"Birth control."

"Ah!" I hid my face under my pillow. "Mom!"

**A/N: Remember reviews make me write faster! If you don't have an account you can review too! So please, if you're taking the time to read this, take two more seconds and leave me a comment!**

**Also - the poll for Emily's part in this fic is still on my profile - please vote! **


	5. The Introduction

**A/N: Hi everybody! Next chapter is up! Sorry for the delay- just haven't had any time to write :(**

**Anyway, I have the next few chapters all written out, so I'll do my best to post regularly. Thank you for all the reviews -I love each and every one!**

**A few things to say real quick:**

**I'm not sure if this story will stay T or if i will eventually need to change it to M. Right now it's going to stay T. The words in bold are taken from SM's Twilight.**

**Also to make one point clear- the treaty between vamps & wolves is already in affect -Jake's great grandfather made it with Carlisle in the past, and the Cullens returned to Forks after a few decades when no one knew them. Except for the tribal elders who were around at that time also- I hope that makes sense!!**

**Lastly, it's pretty late and I'm exhausted so please be patient with any spelling/grammar issues in this chapter.**

**Other than that: Disclaimer- Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.**

CH 5 BPOV

A week went by and gossip in school died down a bit. Edward Cullen was not in school all week. His brothers and sisters were, but I rarely passed them in the halls. They got to class just in time and left right after the bell.

They didn't make any efforts to talk to anyone, and I got the impression they didn't want to, either.

It was Monday morning now, after a weekend that flew by too fast, I was not ready for school. I spent the weekend on the reservation – I slept at Leah's though, and my Dad called Harry to make sure of that.

It's not like I hadn't stayed over at Jake and Billy's before, but now we were together, so apparently that makes a difference.

I pulled into the parking lot and hopped out of my truck, my stomach churning when I realized I was parked next to a silver Volvo. I knew that belonged to _him._ He was back in school?

All of last week I had convinced myself that his disappearance had nothing to do with me – after all, he didn't even know me! But a haunting doubt in the back of my mind told me there was more going on.

I hadn't mentioned the Cullens to anyone since the first day of school – I didn't want Jake to get the impression that I was only interested in the new students.

At lunch, I noticed the five of them now shared our lunch hour, fifth hour. They sat at a table in the corner, not surprising, to themselves.

Something was different about the bronze-haired boy, Edward – I had learned which names belonged to who. Another facet that made them different; old fashioned names, like from the last century or something.

Jessica nudged my side as we walked to our table.

"Bella, Edward Cullen is staring at you." I snapped my head up, finding his gaze set on me. He didn't look mad, but he was frowning. I blushed and turned away.

"He doesn't look angry, does he?"

"Why would he be?"

I shrugged, trying to be non-committal but I think I was failing.

"He's still watching." She giggled. I quickened my pace until we sat at our table, not daring the glance in the Cullen's direction again.

"Hey, look, Bella's blushing," Lauren commented.

Jessica gasped. "You have a thing for Cullen!"

"No," I responded, perhaps too quickly.

"You totally do! Well, he is gorgeous."

Angela interrupted. "What are you wearing to the homecoming dance?" Jessica and Lauren were instantly distracted. She winked at me and I shot her a grateful look.

"I owe you," I whispered.

"Do you guys want to come shipping with Lauren and I? We're going next month to look at dresses in Port Angeles."

Angela looked at me and shrugged. "Sure."

The girls were still talking about lengths and colors of their ideal dresses when I got up to throw out my garbage toward the end of the period.

"Hello," said a quiet, musical voice.

I looked up, stunned that he was speaking to me. Edward Cullen was standing next to me, starting a conversation with me, after all this time. This boy was really unpredictable – disappear for a week and now he decides to talk.

"**My name is Edward Cullen. I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan.**"

Okay, now I was seriously confused. He knew my name too?

I forced a smile, trying my best to be polite. Maybe this was my chance to befriend him and his siblings. His eyes were careful, I noticed, like he was trying hard to exercise some sort of self-control.

"Did you get contacts?" I blurted. He hesitated for a moment, then denied it. His eyes were definitely different**. I vividly remembered the flat black color of his eyes the last time he'd glared at me – the color was striking against the background of his pale skin and auburn hair. Today his eyes were a completely different color: a strange ocher, darker than butterscotch, but with the same golden tone.**

Nothing about this boy was making sense to me. And what made even less sense, and honestly scared me a bit, was how I was drawn to him; how much I wanted to spend time with him and get to know him. I didn't think Jake would be too happy about my interest in another guy.

I realized he was still standing there, staring at me, waiting for me to speak.

"Are you liking Forks?" I asked. Seemed like a safe question.

"It was an adjustment. I hated it at first. But," he paused, looking right in my eyes, "a recent even makes me think I am going to enjoy it a lot more."

"And what's that?" I was curious.

"Meeting you," he answered. Um, well that's surely not what I was expecting. Color filled my cheeks and I heard myself laughing uncomfortably. Edward, however, smiled widely, flashing a set of perfect ultrawhite teeth.

"Nice to meet you, Bella. But something gives me the impression that your friends want you back." He smiled wickedly, and I glared at my friends, of course, they were all staring. Jessica's mouth was agape.

"Nice to…" I turned back, but he was gone, already back at his table, chatting with his family. I started after him in amazement, and returned to my own table.

"Oh. My. God!" Lauren squealed.

"What did he say?" Jessica grabbed my arm and pulled me down next to her.

"Nothing, he, uh, just wanted to introduce himself."

Mike huffed.

"Looks like Jacob's got some competition," Lauren said.

I denied that – of course there was no comparing my Jacob to Edward. Jacob is my boyfriend, and Edward's just some guy at school. A very handsome new guy at school.

But I didn't see Edward again for the rest of the day. I couldn't decide if that was good or bad.

No one was home when I got home, Charlie was on duty and Renee was visiting a friend. I texted Leah with the details of the Cullen incident, not ready to actually talk about it. I needed to sort out things myself first. I sat down at my desk to start on some homework, but was interrupted by a phone call from Jake.

"Hey, Jake."

"Hey baby. How was school?"

"Fine," I answered.

"Oh. You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just doing some homework," I assured him.

"Can I come over? I miss you."

"Miss you too," I said, even though we say each other all weekend. I always felt that I couldn't get enough of Jake. He helped when I needed to sort things out, and I knew seeing him would diffuse any feelings I thought I had for Edward. "Sure, come over." I hurried to get my homework done, because Jake was too much of a distraction when he was over for me to get any work done. I was reading a chapter in my favorite book when he arrived.

I swung open the door and he pulled me into a big hug like I haven't seen him for days. His shirt was soaked from the rain I noticed had just started coming down in buckets.

"Jake!" I squealed as my clothes grew damp from being pushed up against him. He laughed his loud, throaty laugh.

"Where's your mom?" He asked when we were inside.

We sat down on the couch and he pulled me into his chest.

"She went out."

A mischievous grin passed over his face. I rolled my eyes. "No way," I warned before he even said anything. It made me smile, but I knew Jake and I were not ready for anything like that – even if he was, and my mom was pretty sure it would be happening.

Jake kissed me forehead and I snuggled into him more.

"I know," he laughed.

"I'm going shopping with a few girls from school in a few weeks for homecoming dresses," I told him. Jake's eyes flashed with worry.

"Homecoming? I didn't know you were going. Do you want to? I'll take you."

I laughed. "No, I'm not going. The girls just wanted me to come."

"Oh. If you really wanted to go you would tell me, right? I don't want to be a bad boyfriend."

"Please, Jake," I snorted. "Besides, you know I don't dance."

"True." I closed my eyes and Jake began to trace his fingers across my arm absentmindedly. We were quiet for a few moments.

"Something wrong?"

He sighed. "Not exactly. But my father has been acting weird." I sat up.

"What do you mean? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's alright. But he's been watching all the guys when they come over, and me. It's like he's waiting for something bad to happen to one of us. I don't know why he is doing this all of a sudden, he used to be so lenient with us."

"Well, he's a Dad, Jake. They worry- it's what they do."

"I guess. But he wants us all together tonight. He and Harry and all of them told us to come to first beach tonight so they can tell us the legends of our tribe."

"That sounds really cool."

"We all know them already. Not like it's anything new."

"You should go, Jake. It will make your Dad happy."

"I know." He sighed again. "Why don't you come? It's at seven. I can drive you back home after. It will be more bearable with you there."

"Of course. I'd love to hear the tribe's story."

**A/N: I love reviews! Whether you have an account or not, please leave your comment 3**


	6. Legends

**A/N: Okayy, so here's the deal. Life has gotten pretty hectic and I'm sorry I've been slacking on the updates!! But here is the next chapter.**

**If you've read my other story (The First Cut is the Deepest) you already know that I like to twist up the Twilight Series by introducing a new senario, but I've kept to the main idea/scheme of the original. So that's why in this fic I am chosing to quote from the book and parallel some events. This is how Twilight might have gone if Jacob/Bella existed before Edward came to Forks and ruined... I mean interupted, everything. Haha, just kidding! **

**And for those of you who are worried, yes this is a J/B! But Bella is infatuated w/ the Cullens right now, and so she is having trouble separating her feelings- but have faith !**

**Thanks for the reviews /alerts / favorites ! **

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight. All words in bold from this point on are either from Twilight or Eclipse. I don't own!!**

CH 6 BPOV

After dinner with my Dad, I got dressed for the bonfire and waited for Jake to pick me up. I threw on an old, light-washed pair of jeans and a beige sweater. It had stopped raining, but the ground was wet – and weathermen were predicting a drop in temperatures later tonight.

Jake opened the car door for me and held an arm around my waist as we walked to the fire blazing on the beach. A week of being Jake's girlfriend and I already couldn't remember how we managed without this. We had made the transition from friends to boyfriend and girlfriend with little effort. And, of course, Leah had been ecstatic that we were both in relationships, and she didn't feel guilty cuddling up to Sam in front of me.

Leah raced up to me as soon as she saw me. "Tell me everything he said," she demanded. She was referring to what occurred at lunch earlier.

Jake released his hold on me to join the guys and eat. Leah and I sat on a log close to the fire where her own father and Billy were sitting. A few other men whom I didn't recognize sat with them.

"He just walked up to you like that and said hi?"

"Yeah. He acted so polite and everything. I don't get it."

"You should invite the Cullens to the beach! That way I can-"

"No." We were both startled and surprised to hear one of the men I didn't recognize say that to us in such an authoritative tone. All of the men were now looking at us with hard eyes.

Leah looked to her father. "Why not?" I could always count on Leah to speak up even when I was scared and intimidated.

"The Cullens don't come here." The same man said in a grave voice.

"That's why Bella has to invite them." Leah said, as if she was reasoning with a child.

"No. You will soon understand." We looked away and hid our giggles.

"O-kay." Leah rolled her eyes.

Billy cleared his throat and the boys came to join us by the fire. Sam held Leah on his lap, an odd expression on his face. I ignored it because Jake suddenly sat behind me, pulling me between his legs.

Jared and Paul sat across from us, and Embry and Quil sprawled out on the sand beside us. Jake gave me a discreet kiss by my ear, sending shivers through my body, before Billy began to tell his story.

He began once he was sure he had everyone's attention. I looked around, noticing for the first time that Leah's mother and younger brother were there, too. We all focused on Billy.

"**The Quiluetes have been a small people from the beginning. And we are a small people still, but we have never disappeared. This is because there has always been magic in our blood. It wasn't always the magic of shape-shifting – that came later. First, we were spirit warriors.**"

Billy's voice enthralled each of us, and I listened with awe at the intensity with which he told the legends of his people. He was such a good story teller, I found myself believing these stories were true at times. He told us the story of the Great Spirit Chief Taha Aki and his enemy, Utlapa.

"**From that point on, Taha Aki was more than either wolf or man. They called him Taha Aki the Great Wolf or Taha Aki the Spirit Man. He led the tribe for many, many years, for he did not age. When danger threatened, he would resume his wolf self to fight or frighten the enemy. The people dwelt in peace. Taha Aki fathered many sons, and some of these found that, after they had reached the age of manhood, they, too, could transform into wolves. That is how the magic came to us.**"

A wave of chills ran through my body. We had all been perfectly still and silent, and we were all so involved in the story it was a shock to come back to the present.

Jake wrapped his arms around me tighter, thinking I was shivering from the cold. I wondered if he held any stock in these tales.

I watched the flames devour the wood, mesmerized by the blue-red fire in front of me. My eyes felt heavy and I rested my head against Jake's chest behind me.

Although I didn't mean too, I had fallen asleep and missed the end of the stories. To my embarrassment, everyone was gone when Jake woke me up, ready to drive me home.

"Oh my gosh," I exclaimed. "I feel so horrible – that was so rude of me to f-fall asleep like t-that." Jake nudged me into the Rabbit and I blasted the heat, directing the vents directly ay me – it had to be below freezing already.

"It's fine, Bella. It's late, you've had a long day."

"What did I miss?" I asked, eager to hear.

"The stories of the Cold Ones."

"The Cold Ones?"

He rolled his eyes. "Do you really want to know? You'll think we're a bunch of superstitious natives."

"I think it's interesting,."

"Okay. So, the Cold Ones. **There are stories of the Cold Ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land.**"

"**Your great-grandfather?**"

"**He was a tribal elder like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemy of the wolf – well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like my ancestors, werewolves.**"

The need for sleep faded as I listened to Jacob's story. He laced his hand with mind and continued.

"**So you see, the cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But this pack that came to our territory during my great-grandfather's time was different. They didn't hunt the way others of their kind did – they weren't supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So my great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they would promise to stay off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to the pale faces.**" He checked my reaction to see if he was boring me, but I urged him to continue.

"**There's always a risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if they're civilized like this clan. They claimed they didn't hunt humans. They supposedly were able to prey on animals instead.**"

"**But what are they? What are the Cold Ones?**"

"**Blood drinkers. Your people call them vampires.**" He finished with a laugh. "I know, pretty crazy." I nodded – someone had a pretty crazy imagination.

"Did you have fun? Leah was hogging you the whole night."

"Oh, stop whining, Jake," I teased. "You need to share."

"I know, I know." He smiled his beautiful smile while I thought over the events of the night. I had enjoyed myself, for sure. But then I thought back to the events of the day and what Harry said at the bonfire.

"Jake, did you ever find out why your Dad said what he did about the Cullens? Even Harry said tonight that the Cullens don't come to the reservation."

"They are the cold ones," he said in a whisper, as another chill enveloped my body. "**The same ones my great-grandfather met. There are more of them now, a new female and a new male, but the rest are the same. In my great-grandfather's time they already knew of the leader Carlisle. He'd been here and gone before your people ever arrived.** Carlisle Cullen and Epriham Black made the treaty you heard about.

We were at my house at this point and Jake got out to walk me to my door.

"Do you believe those legends, Jake?"

"Bella," he sighed, giving me a quick kiss before leaving. He didn't answer me.

So the Cullens. . . were vampires? Well, maybe that was one explanation, I laughed. I hurried inside and said goodnight to my parents before rushing to my room.

I logged on to my computer as fast as I could while trying to get ready for bed. Once on the main screen, I entered one word into the search box: vampire.

I searched through the first few sites – finding descriptions that matched the Cullens.

Some spoke of unmatched speed and strength, extremely hard and beautiful pale skin, and eyes that shift color. After realizing I'd spend over two hours searching vampire legends, I decided I was just being naïve and paranoid, and surely the Cullens were not blood drinking demons. I logged off and let sleep take over.

When I woke up then next morning I had a huge headache. Too much on my mind, probably. And I definitely hadn't gotten enough sleep. I rushed to get ready for school and slipped on a patch of ice on my way to my truck. I landed on my butt, a bruise already beginning to form.

I was extra cautious on the drive to school. Thankfully, there was a parking space close to the building, so that I didn't have to endure a long walk, inevitably wiping out on another patch of ice, this time in front of cruel high school students.

I walked toward the bed of my truck, the legends returning to my mind. I began to scan the lot for a silver Volvo.

I looked up, startled when I heard a high-pitched screech that was quickly becoming painfully loud. **I saw several things simeautaneously. Nothing was moving in slow motion, the way it does in the movies. Instead, the adrenaline rush seemed to make my brain work much faster, and I was able to absorb in clear detail several things at once. **

**Edward Cullen was standing four cars down from me, staring at me in horror. A dark blue van was skidding, tires locked and squealing against the brakes, spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot. **

**It was going to hit me. **

Jacob's face flashed before my eyes as I braced myself for the impact. **Just before I heard the shattering crunch of the van folding around the truck bed, something hit me, hard, but not from the direction I was expecting. My head cracked against the icy blacktop, and I felt something solid and cold pinning me to the ground. **

**But the van was still coming. It had curled gratingly around the end of the truck and still spinning and sliding, was about to collide with me again. Two white hands shot protectively in front of me, and the van shuddered to a stop a foot from my face, the large hands fitting providentially into a deep dent in the side of the van's body. A groaning metallic thud hit my ears, and the van settled, glass popping, onto the asphalt – exactly where, a second ago, I had been.**

I took a sharp intake of breath as everything began to spin around me. I heard people wailing, crying, screaming, shouting, and calling out instructions. All the noise and voices blended together as everything went black.

**A/N: Cliffie! Sorry :0 but I had to!! I took pieces of the different tribal legends from Twilight and some from Eclipse because I thought they fit better, but tell me what you think!! All review are accepted (anonymous or signed) and I love each of them!**

**I can't promise that I will update regularly - I just started my 4th semester of my program and it doesn't leave me much time to write! But I will try my best.**

**Thank you and much love..xoxo, J.**


	7. The Secrets

**A/N: Thank you for all the continued support! I love getting reviews, so please take the time and let me know what you think about my stories!**

**Sorry to leave off with such a cliffy, but I hope this chapter makes up for it! Also, just an FYI - I am going to have to change the rating of this story to M for a few chapters in the future. It's not graphic at all, just references to J/B's progressing relationship. So if you're totally against that, let me know and I'll try to work around it. If not, I hope you will enjoy seeing the J/B love.**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.**

CH 7 BPOV

I opened my eyes to a hospital room where a flurry of personnel became attentive the second I woke up. They said I must have passed out from the shock of the accident. I could recall every detail perfectly, though, and I was going to demand an explanation of Edward Cullen.

Tyler had slid on a patch of ice in the parking lot, and he looked a lot worse than me. He apologized profusely, but I assured him we were both okay, and everything was alright.

I was so uncomfortable laying there – I kept telling the nurses I was fine, if I could just go home. I gave up my resolve when Edward entered my room and sat at the edge of my bed, he seemed so comfortable – we were friends now? Although I was confused as to how he had actually saved me, I do owe him a thank you.

"What's the verdict?" He asked in a musical voice.

"There's nothing wrong with me," I grumbled, "but I'm stuck here. Anyway, thanks for saving me an all, Edward." He just nodded and the doctor came in. This was the first time I saw him since I was awake, and . . . wow.

He was young, blond, and gorgeous. And very, very pale.

"Dr. Cullen." He said by way of introduction. My eyes flickered from Edward to the doctor, who must be Carlisle.

"Your x-rays look good; are you feeling any pain?"

"Nothing I can't handle," I smiled sweetly.

"Well your parents and friends are eager to see you, they're all very anxious. You can go, but take it easy for a few days, and if you feel dizzy or have any other trouble, come see me."

"Thank you. But I'm fine. It doesn't even hurt." I swung my legs over the bed and stood up, probably too quickly. A pair of cool hands held me up, and my eyes widened as I felt a spark flow thorough them. I looked up into Edward's eyes, wide with worry.

Dr. Cullen cleared his throat, gave Edward a stern glance, and began conversing with Tyler.

"Explain," I whispered angrily to Edward.

"Explain what?" He asked innocently.

"What just happened? And oh, how you got across the parking lot in one second and stopped a mini-van with your hands?" I gasped and stopped walking. Extreme speed and unmatchable strength. It couldn't be that he was a . . . a. . . those stories were just legends. Things like that don't exist, right?

"Are you okay? Maybe you hit your head a little harder than you thought." I nodded, unable to answer. I couldn't ask anything else, because we rounded the corner to the waiting room and suddenly he wasn't next to me anymore.

Charlie, Renee, and Jacob came running up to me. I sighed, noticing the waiting room was packed with all of Forks High. Only Leah and Jacob were there from the reservation, though.

Jake grabbed me into his arms and searched every part of my body for damage.

"Bella, I'm so sorry, are you okay? I can't believe this happened. They wouldn't let us see you," he gushed.

"I'm fine," I assured him. "I just want to go home."

"What did the doctor say?" Renee demanded.

"That I'm find and I can go home." Charlie huffed and Renee frowned, but they got the point and began to lead me out to the car. I waved at the crowd, praying they all wouldn't rush over. Only Leah escaped from the mob, and she rushed to my side.

My mom sat with me in the backseat of the cruiser, and Jake and Leah followed in their cars. Jake fussed over me all afternoon and wouldn't let me out of his sight. Charlie went back to work, but Renee stayed home to watch me, too.

Leah stayed for a few hours, but she said her father wasn't happy she had gone to the 'Cullen's hospital'. She rolled her eyes, gave me a hug, and promised to call later.

I decided not to tell Leah about how odd it was that Edward got to me so quickly. She would probably think I was crazy, anyway.

Renee bough some Tylenol and I answered calls and texts from my friends telling them I was going to live. After the fourth one I just began to give my phone to Jake so he could answer.

"So how did it happen anyway?" He asked when I was lounging on the couch with my feet in his lap.

"Tyler's van slid on some ice and came right at me." I hoped that would be enough of an explanation but I saw he was waiting for me to continue. "Um, Edward was standing next to me and he was able to get me out of the way." I blushed sheepishly and looked away.

"Who?"

"Edward. . ." No recognition was passing over his face. I sighed. "Cullen. One of the new students." He nodded.

"I should have been there for you." I couldn't help but laugh.

"Jake, I love you, but you were at school, too. There's nothing you could have done."

He mumbled something under his breath but I didn't hear. "Why was Cullen near you anyway? Were you talking to him or something?" I winced. Usually, Jake could tell when I was lying. Of course he believed me now, though. Wasn't it terrible to lie to anyone, let alone your boyfriend?

"Not really."

"Was he talking to you or not Bella?"

"Jacob, he's just a guy I go to school with. It's not like we're even friends or anything." He was still glaring at me. "He was asking me about a lab we had to do. We have the same lab professor."

Jake nodded, contemplating this. For a moment I thought he was going to call me out on my lie.

"Well, I'm glad he was there – if to save you and nothing else. I owe him for that." I agreed, I was pretty grateful that he was able to get to me, even if I was still frustrated as to how and why.

"Bella," Jake asked, sounding so young and vulnerable that my heart tugged, "do you talk to a lot of guys at school?" I bit my tongue. Poor Jake was jealous.

"Jake, no. Come on. I have friends, yeah, but I don't feel for them an ounce of what I feel for you. No one compares to you, hun." I reached out and grabbed his hand.

"'Kay." He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. I asked myself if Jake had a reason to be jealous. Was I doing something to cause him to doubt how I felt about him? Well, maybe spending too much time worrying about the Cullen's possible secret identity as vampires and not spending enough time with Jake was a cause. I laid my head back to rest and resolved to spend more time with my boyfriend.

I went back to school and for the next two weeks I avoided the crowds of people hungry for details about the accident as best I could. I told them all the same story – Edward had been next to me and he was able to get me out of the way. I didn't know why I was covering for him, but something told me I had to.

I forced a polite smile when I saw him each day, but he didn't even glance my way. I was truly exasperated with his behavior. This boy had more mood swings than an old woman going through menopause. I honestly couldn't crack him. Whatever.

I got a message from Leah saying she need to talk- ASAP, so I rushed out of class when the final bell rang, ready to fly to La Push and help her out.

My breath caught it my throat when I saw Edward Cullen leaning up against the door of my truck, posing like an Abercrombie model. Exceptional beauty, another quality of –

"Hello, Bella."

"Hi, Edward." I fumbled with my keys, thinking of Jake and how he was the one I was in love with. These butterflies that came around when I saw Edward were just . . . nerves.

"How are you?"

"What do you want?" I demanded. After all, he was the one that had been ignoring _me _for the past few weeks.

"I'm sorry, you must think I'm impeccably rude."

I snorted. "Something like that," I grumbled.

"You see, it's better for you to stay away from me. So I was trying to help you out, and stay away from you. But I can't stay away anymore, Bella." His voice lowered and it almost sounded. . . seductive. I wanted to tell him that I have a boyfriend, I'm not interested – but the words caught in my throat. I love Jake, I'm sure that I do, but why when Edward comes around all my thoughts get cloudy?

"So I'm giving up trying to be good," he continued, as I tried to defrost my brain, "I'm just going to do what I want now."

"So what does that mean? Are we friends now?"

He smiled. "Friends. Although I'm sure I'm not a good friend for you. If you're smart, you would stay away from me."

Great, now he was insulting my intelligence, and my judgment of character. Once again I was confused. I looked into his golden orbs and thoughts about the cold ones flooded my mind.

"What are you thinking?" He asked, cocking his head and watching my face.

"I know that you're different, I just can't figure out how," I answered honestly. He hesitated, then broke out in a boisterous laugh. I couldn't help but compare it to Jacob's laugh that I loved. Edward's seemed fake, like it was rehearsed and he was holding something back.

"And?" He prompted.

"I have an idea." He looked amused. "Pale skin, eyes that change color, unmatchable strength, speed. . ." I ticked each off on my fingertips. When I looked up at Edward I could have sworn he was holding his breath.

"You have quite the imagination, don't you?"

I huffed. "I'll figure you out, Edward." I climbed into my truck and drove away, praising myself on my boldness. I went straight to Leah's. Her mother let me in and directed me to her room. Leah was sobbing into a pillow.

"Oh, Leah." I dropped my bag, shut the door softly, and rubbed my hand on her back. "It's okay, you'll be alright."

She began to sob harder as I tried to sooth her. I waited by her side until the last sob shuddered through her body. She wiped her eyes and sat up, acknowledging me for the first time since I walked in.

"Thanks Bella."

"Of course." I paused, taking in the sight of Leah in baggy sweatpants and a tee shirt, holding her knees to her chest. Leah was not one to cry, so I knew this had to be bad. "Do you want to talk about it?" She nodded, taking in another deep breath.

"Sam doesn't want to see me anymore." She looked down and picked at the hem of her pants.

"Oh, Lee. When did this happen?"

"Last night. I tried to call him and he didn't answer. He just texted me and said he couldn't talk to me anymore. I don't know what I did-" I predicted this was going to set off another hour of tears so I held my hands up.

"No, Leah. You didn't do anything. Don't say that. You were so good to him."

"You think so?" She asked hesitantly. I nodded. Despite Leah's tough exterior and attitude, I knew she was insecure, like anyone else is, and I'm sure what Sam did wasn't helping.

"Did he give you a reason?"

She shook her head, pressing her lips together tightly to hold in a sob. My blood began to boil. Who the hell did Sam think he was to break up with Leah and drop things just like that? And through a text message?!

"I'm going to talk to him."

"No, Bella, please don't. I don't want to seem so. . .broken and helpless. My dad already tried to get involved."

"What do you mean?"

"He saw me upset, and he assumed something was wrong with Sam and I. He's been calling all the elders, probably to get a hold of Sam."

"Oh." I was puzzled. All of the 'elders' on the reservation were suddenly beginning to get very close – unless they were always like this and I never noticed.

Leah hugged me tightly and began to get up. "Thanks for coming over, Bella. But I've kept you here for two hours."

"Don't worry about it, Leah. I'm always here for you." She smiled, but I knew she was just being polite, because she was too distraught over this break-up. Sam was Leah's first real boyfriend, so I wasn't sure how she was going to handle it.

I thought of how I would be if Jake ever broke up with me. I shuddered – it was horrible to even think about. So, before leaving the reservation, I stopped at Jake's.

Billy let me in, with a distracted expression on his face. I'm not sure he knew what he was doing, because he told me to go right on in Jake's room. Unless Billy was being cool about this stuff. My parents were pretty liberal, at least Renee, but Jake was not allowed to be in my bedroom.

He was on the phone when I walked in. He smiled widely and pulled me onto his lap.

"Okay. Yeah, well see you tomorrow, bro." He threw his phone to the side and crushed his lips to mine.

"Hi," I said, giggling and flushed when we finally let each other go.

Jake laughed and pecked me on the lips again. "I didn't know you were coming by."

"I'm full of surprises."

He snorted. "I see that."

"Well, no," I began, "I was at Leah's. Apparently things aren't so good with Sam." I wasn't sure how much I should tell him, this was Sam and Leah's business after all.

"I know," Jake said, surprising me.

"Oh. You know?" He sighed.

"Well, I figured something was going on. Sam's been out of school for a week. And a bunch of tribal elders have gone to see him, my Dad, too. He won't give up any details though, says its confidential tribal matters."

"Weird."

"Very."

**A/N: Sorry! Not the greatest place to leave off, I know. But I had to end it soon or it would be too long. So - what did you think about the Edward/Bella interaction? How should she find out about Edward? What do you think about Jake's reaction to Edward's role in this chapter? And whats your prediciton for Sam/Leah?? Let me know, and don't forget to tell me how to improve! The more review I get, the more I make time to write! :)**


	8. Disappearances

**A/N: Next chapter!! It might be a bit shorter than the previous ones..Originally I had written one long chapter but I decided to break it up into 2. Rating has been changed to M for references to sexual themes. **

**Thank you for the favorites, alerts, and reviews!**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all its characters.**

CH 8 BPOV

Sam's disappearance totally caused drama within our circle- which was very disappointing. One of the whole themes of our clique is it was drama free. I guess when you add complex relationships, it can't stay problem-free forever.

I was at Jake's, lounging on the battered couch in his garage while he tried to fix the dent on the back of my truck. I had tried to ignore that there was any damage to my precious truck, but Jake had convinced me he could easily get her back in prime shape.

I had stopped by Leah's right after school again, like yesterday, and was glad to say she was doing better. Sort of. Well, her clothes matched and she wasn't crying. So after a few hours with Leah, I now found myself sipping a cola in the garage, watching Jake work his magic.

No one had heard anything from Sam or had any contact with him. It was bugging everyone out. Jake told me Paul got so irritated and he lost his temper.

"Isn't that usual for Paul?" I asked. Jake was using some tool I didn't know the name of, and then he squinted to admire his work.

"Bella, this was much worse. He was yelling and sweating and everything. He stormed out. Well, after my Dad advised him to get out and see one of my Dad's friends. Another tribal elder."

"Huh." I was puzzled by this entire situation. Everything was great, then – bam – we have our friends throwing fits and disappearing.

"I haven't heard from him since," he continued. "I just have to touch up this paint as she'll be as good as new. Well, as good as she was when you bought her, at least."

"Okay," I laughed. I watched as Jake expertly covered the scratches to look like nothing was ever damaged. His love for cars and the great skill he mastered were admirable. He did have initiative and passion to learn when it came to mechanics. He wiped his hands free of paint, grease, dirt, and whatever else was on them, facing me and patting the side of my truck.

"Done." I got up and wrapped my arms around his waist, tilting my head up for a kiss. Was it my imagination or was he an inch or two taller than I remember? I frowned.

"What?"

"You grew."

"And?"

"I can't reach." He laughed, lifting me up and securing my legs around his waist.

"Better?"

"Much." I captured his lips with force and he moaned. His hands slid up my back as the kiss got deeper, hotter. His tongue entered my mouth and I sucked on it, enjoying the taste of my Jacob. I was concentrating on our mouths, so I gasped when I felt Jake's fingers at the edge of my bra. I hopped back down to the floor quickly, running my hands through my hair and adjusting my clothes.

Jake looked terrified when I looked back up at him, like I was about to yell. It made me laugh.

"Okay, now I'm confused," he told me.

"Sorry, Jake. But you surprised me with that."

"Oh. Sorry." He smiled, kissing me quickly on the lips again and took my hand in his. It was still light outside, so I pulled the truck out and we sprayed it down, removing layers of dirt and dust that clung to the surface since that last rain. Of course, the hose 'slipped', and sprayed all over me. I squealed and charged Jake.

"What the hell?" I demanded, laughing uncontrollably as I tackled him and tried to take control of the hose. I wrestled him for it, straddling his waist between my knees when I finally snatched it. I held it right in front of his face, threatening. I wiped the dripping water from my face.

Something shifted underneath me, and when I looked at Jake, he wasn't looking at my eyes, but a bit lower.

"Jacob Black!" I shouted, jumping up and giving him a shower with the hose. He was more willing to get wet than I had been.

When I got home in Jake's sweatpants and hoodie, my mother raised an eyebrow. I held up my hands in innocence. "We were washing the truck, I swear."

She snorted. "Uh huh. Just promise me you are taking what Dr. Lincoln gave you, every day."

I groaned. Birth control pills. That was probably the most humiliating doctors visit ever.

"Yeah," I said, rather that protest.

My mom nodded. "There's leftovers in the fridge, hun." I dragged myself upstairs after eating, forcing myself to do some homework before bed. I didn't admit it to Jake, but I slept in his clothes. They were so comfortable, and they smelled like him – I slept wonderfully.

So wonderfully, in fact, I didn't want to wake up the next morning. I woke up a bit later than anticipated.

Showering quickly, I pulled my hair into a simple ponytail and threw on jeans. I wore Jake's sweater to school – it was too perfect to resist. It kept me warm and it was large on me, so I could pull the sleeves past my wrists and snuggle into it.

When I went to get a late pass at the office, the secretary told me that all seniors had a mandatory assembly today in the cafeteria. I wandered in, blushing as I rushed to find a seat amongst the fifty students that were here on time this morning. Mike had an extra seat next to him.

"What are we doing?" I whispered.

"College applications." I sighed. I was trying to put that off for as long as possible, but I knew it couldn't wait. Angela told me she applied to two schools already. I would be behind soon.

Our guidance counselor passed out forms for us to fill out – information about our extracurricular activities, personality, classes, grades, interests. We were in the auditorium for over an hour.

"Aren't you excited, Bella? We're going to college next year," Mike said.

Well, I used to be excited. But now so much was going on here that I couldn't even think about leaving home. But Mike was not someone privy to all this information about my life. So I lied a bit.

"Yeah. It came so fast."

"Remember when we met? Wasn't it in the third grade or something?" I laughed, allowing Mike to ramble on about childhood and memories as we walked to class. I didn't even know what I wanted to go to school to study. It seemed like everyone else knew what path they were going to take. I had considered education, design, communications. I just wasn't sure what option would be the best career for me.

"See you," Mike called, breaking me from my thoughts. I sat next to Jessica in English. My cell vibrated, a text from Jacob – not a good one.

Apparently something was going around on the reservation – these Quileute boys were just dropping all their responsibilities.

Jake called as soon as I was home.

"Jared's missing, too. And Embry said he saw the three of them together. Sam, Paul, and Jared."

"Well, I don't get it," I admitted. "They still talk to each other, but won't talk to us?"

Jake sighed. "I don't get it either, Bella." We talked until my parents came home; my mom decided she wanted us all to have a family dinner. We sat around the table, and then mom asked about college.

I groaned – this family dinner was totally a sham to just get us all together to discuss my future, something I did not want to think about right now.

"You have to figure it out sometime, honey. Preferably soon."

"Mom, I know that. But I'm still not even sure what I want to do."

"So you're undecided. So are a lot of kids. That doesn't mean you can't start applying."

My father pushed a stack of envelopes at me. "We have a few applications for you." I scooped them up, decided not to argue, and told my parents I would go start working on them right now.

I stuffed them in a drawer and went to bed early instead. The next day brought another disappearance. Embry.

Jake was concerned – Embry and Quil were his closest friends, and now Embry didn't show up to class and won't answer any calls. I met Leah and Quil at Jake's after school on Friday.

Leah was lounging on the couch and Quil was sitting next to her, a bag of chips in his lap. He crunched them one by one into his mouth. Leah was better, I would say. She was back to mostly her normal self, and she had come to hang out, so that was good. Still no contact from Sam.

I was comfortably snuggled in Jake's lap. "Maybe Sam decided to start a cult," Quil offered. Leah scoffed. I wasn't sure what to say.

"Sure, and why would he do that?" Jake asked.

Quil shrugged and crunched another chip into his mouth. Jacob and Quil bounced ideas back and forth, with Leah's input every so often. I concentrated on the feelings of Jake's arms wrapped around me.

He was gong through a growth spurt, for sure. In the past week, he must have gotten five or six inches taller, and his muscles were becoming more defined. I appreciatively traced my fingers along his long biceps and strong forearms.

"That feels so good," he whispered into my ear. I shivered, yet felt warmness spread through my body, especially between my legs.

I tried not to concentrate on that. Thankfully Leah got my attention.

"How was that college meeting? You said you had to do it yesterday, right?"

"Yeah, it was horrible. And then my parents decided that they needed to get on my case about making a decision. I'm so behind."

"Me too. But I think I've decided what I want to do."

"What's that?"

"I want to teach. Younger kids, I think."

"That's great, Lee. I thought about it, too. It's a good job."

"So I've heard. Maybe younger kids with special needs. But, hey, we should totally look up schools together and we can go be roomies," she laughed.

"Sounds fun." I mustered up as much enthusiasm as I could. The idea sounded great, but I had a feeling Leah would want to stay close to home. And I want to go away. Well, I used to.

She shrugged, getting up. "We'll see. Are you staying over tonight?"

I had extra clothes in the truck, anything I would need for an overnight visit – since I stayed down at Leah's pretty often. And it usually was unplanned.

"Yeah, probably." Jake growled.

"You can't leave yet," he protested. Leah rolled her eyes.

"I'll come by later, okay? Thanks, Lee," I laughed.

"No problem," she smiled. Jake kissed the corner of my mouth and Quil groaned.

"Aw, come on! I don't want to be third wheel," he complained.

"Then leave," Jake said.

"No, Quil, don't leave. It's okay. Jake will be good. Why don't you put on that movie?" I waved my hand toward the DVD that Quil brought.

"I thought you didn't like scary movies."

"It's okay. I have homework to do anyway."

**A/N: Kay, so not the greatest place to end, I know, but the the next chapter will continue from this point. Also, the "disappearances" are happening pretty rapidly, but I didn't want to drag things out, so thats what happens. What do you think Bella should go to school for?? I have a few ideas, but I'm not sure. Whats your prediction- will she go to school close to home or not? Leave me a review!! Much love, J.**


	9. The Sleepover

**A/N: Here is the continuation of the last chapter. It leaves off right where Ch 8 left off. Hope you like it!  
Thanks for the reviews /alerts / favorites.**

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer.**

CH 9 BPOV

Quil and Jake popped in the DVD while I dug my bookbag from my truck. I kept my eyes away from the television, but couldn't help but hear the haunting music. I scooted over next to Jake, who chuckled and put his arms around me.

When I was finished with my homework, I saw the college applications my father had given me. I sighed. My mom must have snuck them from my drawer and put them in my bag while I wasn't looking. It was unusual for her to go through my things- my parents had always been very respectful of my space since I became a teenager, and it was rare they intruded. But now, I guess college was more important than my personal space.

The movie was in full swing ,so the applications seemed like a good distraction. There was the University of Washington, a college in Seattle, Berkeley University, University of Phoenix, and then some that were just preposterous – Harvard, Pace University, Oneonta, Columbia University, and Hofstra. A lot were in New York, most in New York City.

Excitement washed over me when I thought about going through my college experience in a huge city across the country, a city I had been dying to visit.

"That was awesome!" Quil exclaimed. I looked up cautiously, but saw that the movie was over. Quil said goodbye to both of us, so it left me and Jake now. Billy was still on a fishing trip with my father and Harry, Leah's dad. They had left earlier this afternoon.

Jake pulled me onto his lap and began kissing me. Suddenly his hands and lips and tongue were everywhere at once, and it felt amazing. I was a little suspicious- how did he know what he was doing? I still wasn't even sure if I was doing the making out thing right.

He moaned and pressed me into the couch. I felt paper underneath my back, I assumed the applications I had left on the couch, and Jake released my mouth to investigate the sound of the crunch. He pulled it from underneath me, his eyes scanning over it. Dread fell in the pit of my stomach when I saw his expression. He sat up, now holding the paper with two hands.

"You're going to New York?" He asked, his voice no louder than a whisper. I fumbled with my shirt hem.

"It's just an application. My mom told me to fill it out, I don't even want to go there." Words were coming out of my mouth before my brain could process them.

He considered this for a moment. "Well, where do you want to go?"

"I don't know." Jake let the application fall to the floor and slumped into the couch cushions.

"I didn't even think about you going away to school."

"What do you mean?"

"I just," he paused. "I don't know, Bella. Call me crazy but I always pictured us being together all the time, eventually getting engaged and married and having kids together. I want that, Bella." His eyes conveyed every expression of love I could have asked for. In them, I saw the future Jake saw and I really liked it. Besides, what sixteen year old is thinking about those sorts of things? They were usually worried about being tied down by a girl, and here was Jake, practically begging me to tie him down. I blushed at the double meaning.

"Bella, look, I don't want to hold you back. I would never ask you to do those things and have that future with me unless you wanted it, too."

"I do want that, Jake. I want to be with you." Again, words flew out of my mouth before I knew what I was saying. Was I willing to sacrifice going to school in a big city to stay here and be with Jake? Or was I going to sacrifice my relationship with him for my own dreams?

Apparently, he didn't noticed my indecision, because he kissed me sweetly. All the love he had was pouring from him, and I soaked up every drop. I knew I would do all I could to never lose this boy. I snuggled into his shoulder.

"What happens if you change your mind, Jake?"

"I won't."

"Yeah, but what happens if you stop answering my calls one day and decide we shouldn't be together? Like Sam and Leah." Jake turned to me and held my face between his hands.

"I would never ever do that to you, Bella. I will always want you. Forever. I promise." I kissed him before I started crying at his sincerity. Or my confusion. My head was all muddled up.

Quickly, the kiss turned from slow and sweet to passionate and needy. Jake was laying over me on the couch now, and parts of my body I never knew about were demanding attention. Everything around me was blurring, everywhere Jake touched, kissed, and licked.

My cell phone vibrated in the pocket of my jeans. I turned my head away to catch my breath and began to fish out my phone.

Jake growled and started to kiss down my neck, close to my collar bone. He roughly trapped my hand underneath his and covered my pocket so I couldn't get my phone.

"Leave it," he pleaded huskily. I obliged, because everything Jake was doing was new and exhilarating, and I wanted more time to experiment on him. His lips reached lower and lower and dipped past my v-neck sweater. I felt the cloth resisting, but Jake stretched it anyway, placing kisses right across my chest.

I was breathing heavily now, focusing on each pleasure as it came. We both ignored my cell when it began to buzz again. My body was moving to its own accord, my mouth letting moans and sighs escape before I could stop them.

Jake hands rushed underneath my shirt to meet his lips, and his hands began to slip underneath the cups of my bra.

I bucked underneath him instinctively, but pleasurably. My hips were met with a very aroused part of Jake's anatomy and he moaned. It gave me some courage, so I slipped my hands underneath his shirt and explored his abdomen. I traced each one of his sculpted muscles and lightly circled my fingers around his pecs.

I felt Jake rest more of his body over me, so we were pressed against each other.

"Baby," he whispered, creating more friction between our lower bodies. His lips reached up to press against mine. . . and my cell phone buzzed, again. Jake pushed himself off me so he was sitting up, and I had to hold back laughter at his frowning face. I thought I heard him cuss under his breath.

"Hello?" I answered, hoping whoever it was couldn't tell what I had just been doing. It probably would have been smart to look at the Caller ID. What if it was my mom? She would definitely know!

"Where the hell are you?"

"Leah!" I exclaimed, relieved.

"Well, duh. I've called you like a million times. And Renee's been looking for you too. I've been covering for you."

"Oh my gosh, thanks, Lee."

"Yeah. No problem. Now, can I ask what you've been doing for the three hours since I left?" Leah's voice had humor in it.

"Um, you know, just hanging out, with Jake." I looked at Jacob next to me, who was now grinning and beginning to advance toward me again. I giggled. He encircled his arms around my waist and pulled me onto his lap facing him. He teasingly placed his hands on my waist and ran them up my sides.

"Bel-la," Leah sang.

"What?"

"You didn't hear any of what I just said?" She laughed.

"Um, no?"

"I figured. Well, in case you've been too busy to notice, it's now past midnight. I'm going to bed. So if you want to stay here you'd better come soon." I looked at Jake tentatively.

He whispered in my ear, the one that wasn't occupied by the phone. "Stay here tonight." My eyes widened with the implications of that.

"Alright, Bella. Call me if you need me. But I have a feeling you won't."

"Wait, Leah. Um.." I was stalling. Was I ready to spend the night with Jake? Too many decisions, and I wasn't good at making quick choices. Let alone the right ones.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Please?" Jake purred, and pulled me tighter against him. I felt myself being persuaded.

"What did you tell my Mom?" I asked Leah.

"That you were staying here tonight." I heard the smile in her voice.

"Thanks, Lee. I owe you. Love you!"

"Love you more. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Bella!" She laughed and then I heard a click. Jake took my phone from my hand and snapped it shut.

"So you're all mine?" He grinned. I was suddenly very, very nervous.

"Um, sure." It sounded like more of a question thatn an answer. Jake chuckled, pushing hair from my face.

"Baby, you don't have to stay. I just really want you to. We don't have to do anything." I nodded.

"I want to stay." Jake smiled and got up to retrieve my bag from my truck. I got dressed in the bathroom, not remembering that the clothes I had brought were the ones Jacob had lent me after we washed my truck. With my face flushing, I came out of the bathroom wearing his clothes. He whistled and kissed me.

"Mmm. You look so good wearing my clothes," he said.

"Yeah?"

"Hell yes." I laughed and Jake led me to his room, kicking dirty clothes out of his way. "Come here." He patted a space next to him on the bed. I laid down facing him, and he pulled the covers over us.

"No matter what happens, Bella, I'll always love you. I've been in love with you since I knew what the word meant. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen and I love everything about you. You're smart and funny and caring and patient and loyal and you're always here for me. I would do anything for you, Bella. You mean more to me than life itself.

"If you want to go to college and study somewhere big and new, I'll support you. If you want to stay here and have ten kids, I'll support you. Or if you decide that you want something different, and that doesn't include me, I'll support you. But I'll always fight for you, Bella. I love you so much."

Jake finished his speech with watery eyes. As if I already didn't love this boy, I felt myself falling deeper and harder. There wasn't anything I wouldn't do for him in that moment. I wanted to give everything I had to him, to show him what I couldn't do justice with words.

"I love you, too, Jake. I love you so much." I kissed him with more passion and love than I knew I was capable of. And he wasted no time in responding. His strong hands pulled me tighter to him, yet he was gentle, cradling me underneath him and holding himself above me.

I couldn't find words to describe what Jake and I experienced that night. Two teenagers, completely, totally in love, who wanted and gave each other everything.

I woke up with Jake's arms around me the next morning with a permanent smile on my face. Jake was amazing, he kissed and caressed me until the pain faded. What we had done only intensified my need for him, my need to be with him, near him. My emotions were running so strongly through me; I felt closer to Jake than any other closeness I had ever experienced before. I recognized a desire in each of us we had unleashed, a new, searing, demanding need to get our fill of each other. Jake had fallen asleep whispering words of love in my ear, and I had followed him into a pleasant unconsciousness.

The clock read eleven A.M., and Leah texted me, as any best friend would, threatening to kidnap me if I didn't call her soon. I knew Harry, Billy, and my Dad would be heading our way in a few hours.

I was sweating, probably from being underneath the covers sleeping so close to Jake. His large, solid form seemed vulnerable and less bulky when combined with his soft snore. I pecked him on the lips before slipping out of bed. I was searching for my clothes when I heard him stir.

"Bella?" He called groggily.

"Morning," I smiled softly. His smile looked similar to the one I was sporting when I woke.

"Morning."

"Hungry? I could make some breakfast."

"'Kay." He laid his head back on his pillow. I laughed to myself, dressing, and sauntered into the kitchen. Leah called while I was flipping pancakes and scrambling eggs. I pressed the phone between my ear and shoulder.

"You need to relax," I laughed.

"Bella! Geez, I was worried Jake was never going to let you go!"

"Oh, please, Leah, you're just nosy."

"Maybe. So…"'

"So?"

She sighed. "Bella. You know what I mean. Did you?"

"Leah! Private!"

"Oh, Bella. When will you learn that nothing is private from your best friend?" She laughed. "I take that as a yes?"

"Yes."

Leah squealed into the phone so loud I jumped and it clattered to the floor. I picked it up, holding it with my hand this time.

"Lee, I'll call you back later, okay? I'm cooking."

"Cooking? Yeah, okay," she laughed. "I'm sure you're _cooking_. Later, Bella." I flipped the pancakes and eggs onto a plate as Jake padded into the room, clad in just his boxers. I blushed at the sight of his naked chest.

"What?" he chuckled.

"Nothing. Here, eat." I pushed him a plate of food and watched, astounded, as he finished what two people could have eaten.

He patted his stomach. "Growing boy."

"Okay," I laughed, bringing the dishes to the sink. I washed them and stacked them in the cabinets with the others, leaving behind no evidence for Billy to see.

"Are you staying?" Jake wrapped himself around me from behind.

"I can't. I forgot the girls asked me to go shopping with them this afternoon." He pouted. Jessica and Lauren had invited Angela and I to go with them to find dresses for homecoming, and I had agreed to go. Angela reminded me yesterday. "I should probably head out now."

Jake helped me gather my things and then walked me to my truck. He didn't let me leave before making out with me first, leaving my already swollen lips even more obvious.

"Just so you remember you have a boyfriend waiting for you," he told me.

"I could never forget, Jake."

**A/N: Aww...lol- this chap was corny a little. I couln't bring myself to write anything more graphic yet, so that's how its going to be for now. Anyways, let me know what you thought! Next chappy will have some action..and don't get too comfortable with J/B's perfect relationship ;). (It is a J/B tho, so don't get too worried, either..) There will be another event paralled from Twilight - can you guess?**

**Review, review, review!!**


	10. Hero

**A/N: Next chappy! With some drama that was promised!**

**Okay, so this is the longest chapter so far I think; I know a lot of it is directly from Twilight (the bold), so it may be a bit too familar. But I will get the next chapter up ASAP to make up for it!**

**Also, if you would like to contribute and write a lemon I could put in the story ( since i'm not ready to write one myself) PM me!**

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer.**

CH 11 BPOV

I left Jake's after we had solid plans to meet up for later. It seemed that the closer and closer we got, the less I wanted to be away from him - but that made sense. I felt light and elated the whole way home.

Thankfully, when I pulled in the driveway, neither or my parents' cars were there. Which was great, because I had a feeling my mom would recognize what was different about me.

I had about an hour to change, so I sifted through my closet for an outfit. I wanted something girly and appropriate for a girls' shopping night out, but also something that would wow Jake. He was going to meet me at my house when Jessica dropped me off around ten, so I wouldn't have time to change.

I settled on dark skinny jeans and a black blouse that exposed my neck and shoulders, but would keep me warm while shopping in Port Angeles. I pushed my lick and slipped on a pair of slick, black heels - I had worn them to a wedding once, I think. Besides, Jake was growing by the second, and I needed to keep up. I brushed through my hair quickly, pulling it back into a sleek ponytail. I even put on some makeup; dark eyeliner, black mascara, and a shimmery lip gloss, all gifts from Renee.

I hopped in Jessica's yellow Volkswagen Beetle and joined Angela in the backseat. I was excited to pass the town limits, I hadn't been to a city since the beginning of the school year.

**Jess drove faster than the Chief, so we made it to Port Angeles by four. It had been awhile since I'd had a girls' night out, and the estrogen rush was invigorating. We listened to whiny rock songs while Jessica jabbered on about the boys we hung out with **at school. Jessica was ecstatic that Mike had asked her to go to the dance, and Laruen was Tyler's date. Angela knew she was going, but hadn't given Ben, her admirer, a response yet. The girls debated her options and later tried to convince me to come.

"Why won't you?" Jessica pouted.

"I'm sure some guy at school would go with you," Laruen said. I rolled my eyes, picturing showing off my Jacob at the dance. I wondered what she'd have to say then. Huff.

"Actually, I'm seeing someone, I guess you don't remember. And he was perfectly willing, but I'm just not interested in school dances. I hate dancing, for one."

"So don't dance," Jessica suggested.

"We know you're not a professional dancer. No one will expect you to be good," Laruen chimed in.

**I was silent, still lost in shock that was quickly turning into irritation. But we had found the dress racks, and now we had work to do.**

**The dress selection wasn't large, but they each found a few things to try on. I sat** **on a low chair just inside the dressing room, by the three-way mirror.**

I offered my criticism, or praise, as they strutted out in their options. All of them looked good on Lauren, although she picked at every invisible flaw. Angela was done the quickest. She fell in love with a pink dress that accentuated all the good stuff. Jessica, ever indecisive, was torn between two, and Laruen tried on every dress in the store that was stocked in her size. And that is not an exaggeration.

The saleswoman was exhausted after assisting us. After that fiasco, I helped them pick shoes; strappy flats for Angela that matched her dress, silver pumps for Jessica, and black sling back heels for Lauren. Of course, Lauren and Jessica did things all-or-nothing, so we stopped in a jewelry store to look for some bling. Lauren's words, not mine.

**We planned to go to dinner at a little Italian restaurant on the boardwalk, **but their shopping was wearing me down. We parted ways and then they headed to the jewelry store, and **I told them I would meet them at the restaurant in an hour - I wanted to look for a book store. **

**I had no trouble finding the bookstore, but it wasn't what I was looking for. The windows were full of crystals, dream-catchers, and books about spiritual healing. I didn't even go inside. There had to be a normal bookstore in town.**

I regretted not agreeing to visit here more often with my mom. I really did not know left from right in this town.

**I stomped along in a southerly direction, toward some glass-fronted shop that looked promising. But when I got to them, they were just a repair shop and a vacant space.**

**A group of four men turned around the corner I was heading for, dressed too casually to be headed home from the office, but they were too grimy to be tourists. As they approached me, I realized they weren't too many years older than I was. They were joking loudly amongst themselves, laughing raucously and punching each other's arms. I scooted as fat to the inside of the sidewalk as I could to give them room, walking swiftly, looking past them to the corner.**

**"Hey there!" one of them called as they passed, and he had to be talking to me since no one else was around. I glanced up automatically. Two of them had paused, the other two were slowing. The closest, a heavyset, dark haired man in his early twenties, seemed to be the one who had spoken. He was wearing a flannel shirt open over a dirty t-shirt, cut-off jeans, and sandals. He took half a step toward me.**

"**Hello," I mumbled, a knee-jerk reaction. Then I quickly looked away and walked faster to the corner. I could hear them laughing at full volume behind me.**

Cell phone, cell phone, cell phone, my brain was yelling. I furiously began to dig around in my purse. Why was I able to find everything but my cell phone?

Wallet, keys, tissues, a pen, a gum wrapper, nail fine, two tubes of lips gloss probably three years old, lotion, perfume. But cell phone? Nowhere to be found. Of course, it has to be at this bottom of this giant bag that is too oversized to be a purse anyway.

I quickened my pace, too frightened to look behind me, although I didn't hear anything. Which also meant there were no cars, no people – no witnesses to see what was going on.

Option one, find my cell phone an call the police, and someone to pick me up.

Or two, drop my bag, hoping that would appease them, and run. But I wasn't a very good runner. I would no get very far, and **something told me they were more than thieves.**

I heard a shoe scuffle against pavement and quickly glanced behind me. Two men were in step behind me, about twenty feet away, but they were both staring directly at me. I cursed my choice of foot wear as I sped up, praying that there was civilization around the next corner. I skipped around it with a grateful sigh. . .and skidded to a stop.

**The street was lined on both sides by blank, doorless, windowless walls. I could see in the distance, two intersections down, streetlamps, cars, and more pedestrians, but they were all too far away. Because lounging against the western building, midway down the street, were the other two men from the group, both watching with excited smiles as I froze dead on the sidewalk. I realized then that I wasn't being followed. I was being herded.**

This can't be happening.

**I turned then and darted to the other side of the road. I had a sinking feeling that it was a wasted attempt. The footsteps behind me were louder now.**

"**There you are!" The booming voice of the stocky, dark-haired man shattered the intense quiet and made me jump.**

"**Yeah," a voice called loudly from behind me, making me jump again as I tried to hurry down the street. "We just took a little detour."**

**My steps had to slow now, I was closing the distance between myself and the lounging pair too quickly. I had a good loud scream, and I sucked in air, preparing to use it, but my throat was so dry I wasn't sure how much volume I could manage. **

Think, think, I forced myself. Oh, why hadn't I listened to Leah when she wanted to show me some moves to wrestle with the boys? Why had I made fun of my Dad when he gave me that pepper spray?

The only thing that came to mind was the old knee-to-groin move. But I was hoping they wouldn't get that close where it would be necessary.

**The thickset man shrugged away from the wall as I warily came to a stop, and walked slowly into the street.**

"**Stay away from me," I warned in a voice that was supposed to be sound strong and fearless. But I was right about that dry throat – no volume. **

"**Don't be like that, sugar," he called, and the raucous laughter started again behind me.**

**I tried to swallow so I could build up a decent scream. **The men got closer, the four of them coming from different sides. I debated, through my panic, if I should rip off my shoes and throw them, creating some kind of weapon. But I would probably miss.

"My boyfriend is on his way to pick me up. He's a second away." The man closest to me smiled wickedly and I shivered. They each chuckled darkly.

**Headlights suddenly flew around the corner, the car almost hitting the stocky one, forcing him to jump back toward the sidewalk.**

**I dove into the road –this car was going to stop or have to hit me. But the suddenly familiar silver car fishtailed around, skidding to a stop with the passenger door open just a few feet from me.**

"**Get in," a furious voice commanded.**

That voice, I knew that voice. My brain tried to make the connection through my panic-induced haze.

Edward Cullen. That's his voice, and the silver car!

**I jumped into the seat, slamming the door shut behind me. It was dark in the car, no light had come on with the opening of the door, and I could barely see his face in the glow from the dashboard.**

**The tires squealed as he spun around to face north, accelerating too quickly, swerving toward the stunned men on the street. I caught a glimpse of them diving for the sidewalk as we straightened out and sped toward the harbor. **

"Edward?"

"**Put on your seat belt," he commanded, and I realized I was clutching the seat with both hands. I quickly obeyed, the snap as the belt connected was loud in the darkness. He took a sharp left, racing forward, blowing through several stop signs without a pause.**

I shook my head, trying to clear the adrenaline and panic that had filled it moments earlier. I had been so grateful to see a familiar face that I had hoped in Edward's car, without hesitating.

"Sometimes I have a problem with my temper, Bella. But it wouldn't be helpful for me to turn around and hunt down those. . ." he growled. "At least, that's what I'm trying to convince myself."

"Oh." The word seemed inadequate, but I couldn't think of a better response. I calmed myself with even breathing, trying to come to terms with what had just transpired.

Edward Cullen had. . . saved me. . . again. Well, he was quite good at that. But how did he know –

My cell phone trilled a high girly ring and I muttered apologies to Edward as I spilled the content of my purse on my lap. I blushed as I saw him watching with an amused expression.

"Hey, Jess."

"Bella? Where are you?"

"I must have taken a wrong turn or something. I got kind of lost," I admitted.

"Well where are you? We'll come and pick you up."

"Actually, I, uh, ran into someone."

"Who?" I knew Jessica's interest was now piqued.

"You know Edward Cullen, right?"

"Of course." She was quiet for only a fraction of a second. "Wait a minute. You ran into Edward Cullen?"

"Yeah. Anyway, Jess, listen, just tell me how to get to the restaurant you're at and I'll meet you there for dinner."

"Uh, Bella, we already ate. I know how you are with books, so we figured you get preoccupied and we ate." Wonderful.

"Oh."

Edward pulled in front of La Bella Italia, and there was Jess, Angela, and Lauren, pacing anxiously. All three of their mouths rounded into perfect O's when they saw me. I shot Edward a confused look.

"I'm taking you to dinner," he stated. Oh, was he now? This boy seriously frustrated the hell out of me, and I think I was reaching a breaking point.

He hates me, he loves me, he claims we shouldn't be friends, he can't stay away, he ignores me, and now he wants to take me out to freaking dinner!

"**Do you mind if I drive Bella home tonight? That was you won't have to wait while she eats."** I heard Edward ask as he began opening the door for me. I clamored out, replacing all my useless crap into my too-big purse that was going straight to the bottom of my closet when we got home.

Trendy, my ass. More like dysfunctional.

"Sure," one of the girls said, before I was even out of the car.

"Later Bella. Bye, Edward." Angela called before I could stop them. They sprinted away to the car with hushed whispers.

"**I'm not hungry."**

"**Humor me."** Well, fine. In that case, I did have a handful of questions that required answers, stat.

Edward's charm and god-like looks got us a cozy-looking booth, far from anyone else in this dimly lit Italian restaurant, with settings for two. My eyes narrowed- this looked too much like a date to me.

But one look at Edward's expression and I knew he was probably as stubborn as me. I sighed and slid into the both ungracefully.

I opened my mouth to speak after we ordered drinks, but Edward beat me to it.

"**How are you feeling?"**

"**I'm fine," I replied, surprised by his intensity.**

"**You don't feel dizzy, sick, cold?"**

"**Should I?" He chuckled at my puzzled tone.**

"**Well, I'm actually waiting for you to go into shock."**

"**I don't think that will happen. I've always been very good at repressing unpleasant things."**

"**Just the same, I'll feel better when you have some sugar and food in you."** Why was he so worried and concerned? The awkwardness of the situation did not pass me by.

"**Drink," he ordered.**

**I sipped my soda obediently, surprised by how thirsty I was. I realized I had finished the whole thing when he pushed his glass toward me. **

"**Thanks," I muttered, still thirsty. The cold from the icy soda was radiating through my chest, and I shivered. **

"**Are you cold?" **

"**It's just the Coke," I explained, shivering again.**

"**Don't you have a jacket?" His voice was disapproving.**

"**Yes. Oh- I left it in Jessica's car," I realized.**

Edward was shrugging out of his jacket and handing it to me. I began to protest, but he heard no word of it. Shyly, I slid my arms into it and pushed up the sleeves so I was able to see my hands.

"Better?" He asked, and I nodded.

"Good. Although it's a shame to cover you up. You look beautiful tonight." He said.

I blushed, and thanked him, remembering I had dressed up like this for Jacob. I hadn't expected anyone else to notice, and I wasn't sure that I wanted anyone else to notice, either.

I rested both of my elbow on the table, my hands holding my chin, and stared right into Edward's eyes, reminding myself not to get distracted.

"So, Edward. What brings you to Port Angeles tonight? It was very convenient that we were in the same place. You seem to have a knack for saving me."

**A/N: Anyone see that coming? Review! And I already have the next chapter written up, so if you'd like a preivew, REVIEW! :)**


	11. The Hurt

**A/N: So this chapter has some anticipated drama. Hope you like! **

**Thanks for the reviews - almost at 100 :)**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight. I do not. Words in BOLD are from Twilight.**

CH 11 BPOV

Edward dropped the bomb after I had finished eating. And, if I might add, after my relentless persuasion.

"I followed you to Port Angeles."

"Why?"

"**I've never tried to keep a specific person alive before, and it's much more troublesome than I would have believed. But that's probably just because it's you. Ordinary people seem to make it through the day without so many catastrophes."**

I pondered this for a minute, shamelessly agreeing with him.

"I know you're different," I told him.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I never believed in the supernatural, but I guess I do now." His face was blank, so I continued. "I've heard the legends about your family, and I didn't believe any of it at first. But something tells me they're true. You've had perfect timing in saving me from near death twice now."

"Coincidence," he argued. I didn't release my gaze, and he sighed. "You're more observant than I've given you credit for."

Now, we were in the car, Edward driving way over the speed limit toward home in Forks. It was very dark and few people were on the roads.

"Where did you hear it?" He asked.

"Hear what?"

"The legends. You said you found out from some legend," he prodded.

"From the Quiluete elders. They mentioned your family." Okay¸ so maybe I had given myself more credit than was due. I hadn't connected the cold ones to Edward all on my own.

He was silent, and suddenly I was worried about protecting my friends on the reservation. "They were just telling stories of their people. I know they didn't expect me to consider it seriously. That's just my wild imagination. ." I laughed uncomfortably.

"And yet, here you sit, next to a dangerous mythical creature, knowing what you know."

I was surprised with the casualness of his words, how he spoke about it as something natural, something anyone else in the world could be discussing at any time.

"Well, that I don't have an explanation for," I joked. "But, really Edward, thank you, for coming to my rescue. I don't know what would have happened if-"

He held out his hand, indicating me to stop talking, which I did. I didn't want to relive it anymore than necessary, anyway. It was silent in the car for another minute, as sleep began to gradually make its appearance. I was glad we were close to home.

"Do you want a ride to school tomorrow?" Edward asked. "I would love to take you. And my sister is ecstatic to meet you. She won't stop talking about it," he smiled.

I was stumped. If he starting picking me up for school, wouldn't that look like we were. . .a couple? I was already a couple with someone else.

This wasn't good. I wasn't looking for a relationship with Edward, and I didn't have the slightest inkling that he was interested in me that way. But now, his suggestion seemed to imply something more. I took a deep breath, bracing myself for his reaction.

I knew I had to tell him about Jacob. It wasn't fair to Jake or Edward to have them both in the dark. Jake had me, heart, mind, body, and soul, and Edward deserved to know. He pulled onto my street; now or never. Why was this so difficult?

He was waiting for an answer. "I appreciate that Edward, it's very nice of you. And I owe you for what you've done for me. But I have a boyfriend."

He nodded slowly. "Well, I should have guessed," he smiled, turning to look at me as he pulled into my driveway. I saw Jake's Rabbit and my heart leapt into my throat. I looked at the time, eleven thirty. I had promised Jake I would meet him at my house before ten. Shit.

"I just wanted to find out for myself. But someone is anxiously waiting for you inside. Goodnight, Bella." He smiled, and I scurried out of the car, almost tripping over my own feet.

"Thank you so much, Edward. I'll see you in school." I hurriedly shut the door to his car and he sped off in the next second. I sprinted up the steps and gasped when I ran right into Jacob.

"Ouch. I didn't realize you were outside, sorry Ja-"

"Damnit Bella! I've been trying to call you all night! Where the hell where you? And who dropped you off? That did NOT look like Jessica, Bella."

I nervously looked around outside, and past Jake into the house. His voice was loud, and we had nosy neighbors. I didn't want half the town's population to hear this. I put my hand against his chest and shoved him inside. He was very warm, like he had been sitting next to a fire this whole time.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him up the stairs behind me, darting past my parents, who I'm sure realized my arrival anyway.

I lead Jake into my room and shut the door. He paced back and forth, shooting my dirty looks I had never seen on his face before. It would have scared me if I didn't know him. But if I was in his shoes, the situation didn't look very good.

Jacob came closer and grasped the sleeve of Edward's jacket tightly in his fist, the one I was still wearing. "Yours? Starting a new trend, Bella?"

There was no humor in his voice, I shrunk back against the door.

"Jake, I know it looks really bad, but it's not like that. Edward just -"

"Cullen?" He shouted. "You were out with Cullen?"

"Jake, keep your voice down," I insisted, "my parents can hear you."

"I don't give a damn who hears me. What kind of stunt are you trying to pull Bella? I've been here since nine thirty waiting for you. Then you show up at eleven! In the car, alone, with Edward Cullen, wearing his jacket! Do you think I'm stupid? That I would believe you went out for a girls' night when you have Cullen dropping you off at your house! Should have thought that out better, Bella."

"Jacob, listen to me," I was close to begging. And he was close to losing it. He fists were clenched tight, the veins in his biceps popping out. His face was red, and he looked bigger and angrier than I had ever seen him in my whole entire life.

He stared at me hard. "I went out with Jess and the girls. But I went to try and find a store and got lost. I ran into Edward when I was trying to find my way back. He drove me back to the restaurant and took me home after."

"Why didn't Jessica drive you home."

I gulped. "Well she, uh, Edward offered to, and. . ."

"Nice story, Bella. How about try the truth this time."

"Jake, I'm not lying to you, I swear." I tried to wrap my arms around him but he swatted my hands away. I backed up to the end of my bed.

He snorted. "Is that why you're dressed like that," he gestured to me, "to go shopping?"

"No, I was-"

"On a date with Edward! I'd never thought you pull something like that, Bella. That you would be such a slut."

I gasped. I'd never been called anything like that in my life, and to hear it from Jacob only intensified my shock. I felt my blood pressure rising. "You take that back, Jacob! You have no right to -"

"I don't have a right?" His voice was rising. "I think I have every right! You played me. You said you loved _me_ Bella, you had sex, with _me_, and then you go out with Cullen!" He pushed my wooden desk chair to the floor with just enough force that it broke. I saw his arms shaking, his whole body shaking, and I felt tears running down my cheeks.

"You don't understand, Jacob! You won't listen to me!" I was screaming now, too. I head thunderous footsteps and yelling from downstairs. I ignored it.

"And what exactly don't I understand, Bella? That you fucked me and then hours later went out with Cullen? You're right, I don't understand it! I guess it didn't mean that much to you!"

My door swung open and Charlie burst in, but my mind was in another place. I felt like I was no longer in control of my body, I was a bystander, watching this scene unfold. A scene I would have never in a million years guessed would occur. I was sobbing and I watched my dad, red in the face, try to gain control of the situation.

"What the hell is going on?" He demanded, standing between Jake and I. He was ignoring Charlie, looking past him to me, with hurt, pain, anger, and confusion in his eyes. And that was my fault.

"No one has an answer? Jacob, get the hell out of my house and off my property this damn instant. You will never talk to my daughter that way again."

Jacob, seething on the other side of Charlie, was immune to his orders. He stared at me another moment. "It won't be a problem, Chief Swan, we won't be speaking anymore." And he disappeared down the steps. I heard the feeble engine of his car and the resistance when he slammed on the gas pedal, speeding away.

I collapsed onto my bed, sobbing harder than I can ever remember crying, clutching my arms around my chest. I felt my mom's arms fold tight around me.

"It's okay, baby, it's alright." She soothed. I heard my Dad asking questions, with his voice still loud, demanding answers. I was focusing on getting enough air to breathe between gut-wrenching sobs I never imagined I would cry.

"Charlie," my mom scolded. "Leave her be." She continued rubbing circles on my back, holding my hair as I soaked her shirt and myself in salty tears.

My dad muttered under his breath and shuffled out of the room. I calmed myself down enough to hear him talking to someone in the hallway.

"Billy, what the hell has gotten into your boy? You should have heard how he was yelling at her! I could hear it from miles away! Billy, your son accused Bella of being a slut! And did you know that he was sleeping with her?"

I wailed and was set off into another round of tears and sobs. Besides the shock and anger, I was now thoroughly embarrassed. My parents and Billy all knew that Jake and I had had sex, and were probably all going to blame Jake.

I cried for the horrible turn this day had taken; the near-death experience in Port Angeles, hurting Jake when he saw me with Edward, and throwing away the love I had just made with Jacob.

My mother must have put me in bed when I had drifted off, because two hours later I found myself tangled in my bed sheets, shivering from the open window. My eyes hurt, they were dried out and raw from crying. My body was aching, my head pounding, and my heart, throbbing.

I found my purse next to my bed and I dumped its contents out, much like I had done in Edward's car, onto my floor. I picked up my phone and punched in Jake's number from memory. I held my breath while it rang. . . and rang, and rang.

I felt butterflies when I heard his voice, but groaned when it was only his voicemail. It was too late to call the house and risk waking Billy, and involve him in this mess that already was including too many people, namely, Renee and Charlie.

I called five more times before deciding that Jake needed more time to calm down. I have never seen him so angry before in my life. It reminded me of something Paul would do, how he acted when he lost his temper. But Jake had always been so collected, so listening, so understanding.

I thought I would least have the chance to tell my side of the story before he jumped on me. I guess I was wrong.

"Leah," I sobbed into the phone a minute later. I felt so weak and vulnerable, crying like this.

"I'll be right there."

**A/N: So a lot to take in..does Jake have the right to be so upset? Love it? Hate it?**

**Review plz!**


	12. Feelings

**A/N: WOW! I am totally impressed and greatful for the amount of encouraging reviews I got for the last chapter! I wasn't having the greatest of days, and that just cheered me up so much! Thank you :) And, we surpassed 100 reviews! **

**I'm glad that you liked the chapter, so here is the next one. I'm not too happy with how it's played out, but a few necessary events happened here. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It belongs to Stephanie Meyer.**

CH 12 BPOV

"I guess it's just me and you, Quil."

He turned his head to face me from his position sprawled on the sand at First Beach belly-down. He had sand caked on his cheek from resting on the sand.

"What happened to Leah?" He asked. The three of us were supposed to meet here at the beach, the only three left in our crew, unfortunately.

"She just texted me. Apparently, she ran into Sam and he wants to talk to her."

This affected Quil enough that he sat up, brushing the sand off his body. He was clad in an orange pair of swim shorts, his white tee shirt discarded on the sand somewhere near us. I was lying back, resting on my elbows, watching the water.

"That's good, I guess."

Looking up at Quil, I saw he must have been working out, too. The muscles in his abdomen were without a doubt more defined, as were the ones in his arms and legs. But it wasn't a cause for a second glance, in my opinion. Sure, Quil was good looking, and had the great aura that all of the Quiluete boys did, but he wasn't Jake. No one was.

"Yeah," I said, agreeing with Quil. "We'll have to pump her for details later. I wonder what he wants."

"Maybe he wants to get back together with her."

"I hope so."

"And then all we need is Jake to get back together with you, and we can all go back to normal."

I winced, closing my eyes shut tight. I was trying not to think about the situation of Jake and I.

"I'm going for a swim. Want to come?"

"No, thanks." He shrugged and took off in a jog toward the water. I watched him dive in the shallow lake and pop up again a ways off.

Quil reminded me a lot of Jake. After all, they were very close, and they had a ton of things in common. Everything reminded me of Jake.

Leah had come to my rescue that night, the night after I came home with Edward and Jake had walked out. She empathized in almost every way. She stayed the night, but was gone in the morning when I woke. Well, afternoon really.

I didn't blame her; I was pretty depressing to be around at that moment. I lounged around all day in Jake's sweatshirt and an old pair of sweats. I built up enough courage to call him, and when he didn't answer his cell after the eighth time, I called the house.

Billy answered, with a serious and firm tone I rarely heard him use.

"Bella, Jake isn't ready to talk right now. Don't keep calling him, he'll call you," is what he said to me before hanging up without letting me talk. Leah told me the next day that when she had gone to talk to Jacob, Billy said Jake was sick and it was contagious, and wouldn't let her in.

She told me that she may have seen Embry there though, but Billy shut the door so she didn't get a good look. I hoped the guys weren't putting bad ideas in his head, he already had enough ammunition.

I had left a bunch of voicemails on Jake's phone, explaining the situation. I told him that Edward had actually done me a great favor, by showing up and getting me out of the empty roads in Port Angeles. And I assured Jake over and over that I had no feelings for Edward, but he had given me a ride home, and that's how Jake saw it.

Sunday afternoon had consisted of more college applications. My mother insisted that it would get my mind off things. It did distract me; I filled out a bunch and sent them off. I wasn't particularly interested, but it made my parents happy, and they hadn't been too thrilled with me after the fiasco with Jake on Saturday night.

Quil ran back to where I was sunning, although I never actually got any sun.

"You okay?" He asked. To my surprise, Quil had also been supportive of me. He called me soon after he heard what happened, from Leah, I assumed, and did what he could to get me out of the house. It took him two days to convince me, but here we were Wednesday afternoon, the two of us at First Beach.

Quil felt like Jake had abandoned him, too. And he was the only one in school now, besides Leah. Jake didn't show up. So naturally, we were bonded.

Quil and I picked up our stuff and said goodbye. My heart ached for him as much as it did for myself. He had lost a best friend, like I had, and I knew that wasn't easy.

My mom had gifts waiting for me as soon as I walked in the door. She thought that I, like her, would benefit from getting new clothes, as if I cared about any of those things right now. I only cared about giving Jake enough time to cool off, and then fixing things.

But my mom drowned me with new jeans, a cocktail dress that fit me perfectly, and a cute brown blouse that was off-the-shoulder.

I wore the blouse to school the next day, and took extra time to curl my hair and put on makeup. I didn't want anyone to ask questions or get in my business. No one needed to see how bad I was hurting.

I checked my cell phone for what felt like every minute to see if I had any messages from Jake. None. But there was one from Leah.

I called her back at lunch, when I sat out in my car instead of with my usual group at lunch. It was foggy and windy out, and I had forgotten to bring a jacket. I searched around in my truck hoping to find one. The one I did find was Edward's brown leather jacket that I had been meaning to give back.

I wasn't too keen on wearing it, but I was sure no one would notice. I slipped it on and sat in the back of my truck, dialing Leah's number.

"Hey, Bella," she whispered.

"Leah? Why are you whispering?"

"Because I'm in the hallway at school. Hold on." I heard a muffled sound, and then she got back on the phone. "Sorry, I had to get out of class."

"Oh. It's okay. I would have called you back."

"This is more important than trigonometry," she laughed.

"What's up? I haven't heard from you since you said you ran into Sam."

She sighed. "Yeah. Sorry I got kind of. . . busy. I was with Sam."

"Since yesterday afternoon?" I asked.

"Yeah. Well, he didn't want me to call you or anything." Why would Sam tell Leah not to call me? He was trying to control her now? And tell her who she could be friends with? It was Sam's fault that all of the guys cut off ties from our group one by one, so they could join his group, his crew, his cult, his whatever-it-is!

"Why not?"

Leah stumbled over her words, a sure sign that she was lying. "Oh, not that he didn't want me to talk to you or anything. He, uh, knows the situation with you and Jake. . . and he didn't want me to tell you we were back together, like I was bragging about it, or anything."

"Leah, you're my best friend. You know that I want to see you happy; I wouldn't have been upset." I responded.

"I know," she sighed. "But I can't really talk, so I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure."

My mind was working in overdrive as pieces of the puzzle were beginning to connect. I texted Quil to bounce some ideas off him, but he didn't answer. I was getting very frustrated.

"That looks much better on you than it does on me," a musical voice said.

I looked up, floored to see Edward Cullen standing in front of me, messenger bag casually hung over his shoulder, looking like a picture-perfect version of a Harvard Student. I must have looked confused because he continued.

"The jacket," he clarified.

"Oh!" I blushed and started to pull my arms out of the long sleeves. "I had it in my car, I was planning on giving it back to you, but I got cold and-"

He wrapped a hand around my wrist, preventing me from slipping out of it. "Don't worry about it."

"Um. . .how about I borrow it for one more day, and then I'll remember to bring my own jacket for when it's cold," I smiled. I didn't want to offend him, but I really didn't want to keep his jacket.

"Sure." He flashed a toothy grin at me. "Enjoy your lunch?" He asked, eying the empty plastic bag scattered next to me.

"Yes, thank you."

"Would you like to come over?"

His request shocked me. "But, we have school. . . "

"It's healthy to cut once in a while. My brother and sisters and I are headed home for the afternoon. The sun is supposed to be out, and we want to enjoy it," he winked, but I didn't catch an underlying message, if there was one.

"I'm not sure," I answered, honestly.

"If you want," he said, "my car is over there. We're leaving in a few minute if you want to follow me."

I debated his offer. I had nothing waiting for me in my afternoon classes. And I surely didn't want to be in school with nosy gossipers like Jessica and Lauren. The whole school already knew that Edward had taken me to dinner Saturday night.

And now that neither Jake nor Leah was interested in speaking with me, I may as well make some friends. But I was sure they could never replace my real friends. And being around someone else will stop me from moping.

"Okay." I hopped off the truck, grabbing my keys, and following Edward's shiny silver car to his house. I had no idea where I was when we stopped. We had turned onto a barely paved road, hidden beneath bush and trees. But when it opened up, my was it beautiful.

The Cullen's home was magnificent, big and open, but hidden away from the rest of the town. I loved every inch, and I did get the full tour from Edward. I felt we were more stable now, somewhat on the level of friends, although I did not want to take that any further.

I was impressed by his room, the open space and the inviting décor. His music collection took at least a half an hour to explore. He watched me with an amused expression on his face.

"What?" I demanded, smiling.

"I'm surprised that we have the same taste in music."

"Oh."

"That's not a bad thing. It is, in fact, very interesting. I would have guessed you as more of a pop country fan. I still can't figure you out."

"I guess you'll have to keep trying," I teased.

He had introduced me to his family before showing me around, and that was one experience I would not like to repeat. Esme and Carlisle were hospitable and inviting, and I took an instant liking to Alice. She was much my opposite; spunky, spontaneous, and extremely outgoing. Her boyfriend Jasper kept his distance but was polite; and Emmet and Rosalie briefly said hello before disappearing.

Now, I was sitting on the plush couch in his room as he played different tracks for me on his stereo.

"Would you like to dance?" Edward asked at one point, holding out his hand like a perfect gentleman.

"I don't dance," I said flatly.

"It's easy," he insisted, pulling me up on my feet. He placed one hand above my waist and held one of mine in the other. I was uneasy, but he took my other hand and guided it up behind his neck.

This was too close for comfort. Definitely, too close. I looked away for a moment, taking in a deep breath, and when I turned back, Edward's face was a mere inch from mine. I could feel his cool breath on my own lips. Catching me by surprise, I had little time to react, and it wasn't enough.

He closed his eyes and moved the extra inch, pressing his hard lips against mine in a kiss that was not mutual. I didn't kiss him back, and even then it was just horrible. Nothing could compare to Jake's kisses, warm and passionate and loving.

This just seemed wrong. It was awkward and I was standing there, an unwilling participant in this equation. And I felt nothing.

Nothing at all.

I backed up a few steps, and he got the hint. He was at the other side of the room in an instant.

"I'm so sorry, Bella, forgive me, I don't know what came over me."

I pulled my lips into a tight smile. "It's okay," I lied. "But I don't think that this was a great idea."

**A/N: Please keep in mind this is a J/B fic! So although this chappy with E/B based, it will not be that way forever, but you will just have to keep reading!**

**I think this was necessary because it helped Bella to realize that she has zero feelings for anyone else but Jacob, which we already knew, but this was solid proof. She feels like no one can compare to Jake (who could? lol) I know it might have been a bit OOC, and Bella wasn't completely dysfunctional without Jake, as she might have been. But I was writing this and this is how it happens in my world...**

**Please review! Don't give up on me J/B fans!**


	13. The Truth

**A/N: Sorry for the lapse between updates! I've had a bit or writers block and lots of trouble working out this chapter. But thank you for your support and reviews, maybe we can make it to 150! **

**Just a few things to say: There will be no imprinting in this story! A few reasons for that - I just never really like the concept. I think Leah/Sam is cute together and it works to this story's benefit to have Leah and Sam together.**

**Disclaimer: Twilight is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

CH 13 BPOV

I drove down to La Push, pushing my truck as fast as it would go, through the permanent drizzle in Forks that had begun again. I reached Jake and Billy's – the house looked dark and empty, although I knew it wasn't.

I parked on the side of the house, squinting to see through the rain. Five figures were loitering at the end of the yard, where the flat space turned into words.

I got out of the truck and slammed the door. All five guys snapped their heads up, and even from this far away I could see who they were.

Sam, Jared ,Paul, Embry, and Jacob began to walk toward me. All shirtless, in the rain. No wonder Billy said Jake was sick.

Seeing Jake made my heart ache – for him, for me, for us. I hadn't spoken to him or seen him since the day we'd argued, and I'd missed him. I knew I could never be without him.

"Jake!" I ignored the rain and ran to meet them. I hoped Jake would get the hint that I didn't want to do this in front of an audience. He stared at me with hard eyes, not what I was expecting.

"Can I talk to you?"

He continued staring.

"Alone?" I hinted.

Sam muttered something to Jake I couldn't hear, and then each of the boys except for Jake sprinted off into the woods.

"You can't be here, Bella." His voice was cold and hard. Jake looked past me and began walking; I had to power walk to keep up.

"Why not? Why won't you call me back? Have you listened to any of my messages, Jake?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"There's nothing to say." I ran to get in front of him, and put my hand out on his chest to stop him. He looked at where our bodies were connected like it was painful. I pulled my hand away.

"Jake, I'm sorry. I should have had Jessica drive me home, it was my mistake. But you wouldn't listen to what I said!"

"It's not about that anymore. I've heard the story, I believe you."

"Then what's it about, Jake? Tell me, please, so we can fix this. I hate being away from you," I pleaded. I felt tears mixing with the rain on my face and I heard my voice falter. Jake noticed too, he looked at me with sad eyes.

He didn't answer, and rage began to build inside me. "Is it because of Sam?" I almost yelled.

Jake's eyes flickered with some emotion, but it was gone as soon as it came. I didn't understand. I took a step closer.

"What did he do to you? Why is everyone staying away from me? No one wants to talk to me, Jake. Everything has gone to hell since Sam first disappeared. Leah said he doesn't want her to talk to me. Does he have control over you now, too?"

"You don't understand, Bella," Jake said, his face set firm again.

"So tell me! Explain it to me, so that I understand! You've ignored my calls for a week, Billy told me to stop calling, Leah said you were sick, you won't talk to Quil, I don't get it, Jake." I was rambling and I knew it, but I couldn't stop myself. Everything began pouring out of me. "I miss you, Jake, I miss you so much. I'm sorry if I hurt you but it didn't mean anything to me. I don't have any feelings for Edward, I swear. I love _you, _Jake, and I never want you to doubt that. But I don't know how to fix things."

"I can't," he said, "I can't explain it to you. There's something bigger than us, Bella. And no matter what you do it will always be there." He jumped up the few steps into his house and shut the door behind him.

Leah was surprised to see me when I began banging on her door a few minutes later. "Bella. What are you doing here?"

"Someone needs to give me answers, Leah."

She bit her lip, and couldn't meet my gaze. After another moment, she sighed and ushered me inside. I followed to her room and she shut the door, then turned to face me.

"Are you allowed to talk to me now? Or are you breaking Sam's rules?" I sneered.

"Bella," she sighed, "I'm sorry. Some things I'm just not at liberty to talk about."

"And what the hell does that mean? I'm your best friend, Leah, what happened to that?"

"I know," she whispered, sounding defeated. Hearing her like that broke me out of my rampage, and I fell on her bed, sobbing.

"Oh, Bella," Leah said, sitting down next to me. The situation was much reversed from a month ago, when Leah was crying into her pillow and I was the one doing the comforting. I sat up, wiped my eyes, and waited.

"Okay, look, I can't tell you, but if you guess, that's not breaking the rules." I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Remember the stories the tribal elders told us at our last bonfire? The legends of the Quilutes and the Cold Ones?"

I nodded. "They were right about the Cullens. They're vampires."

Leah looked up at me with wide eyes.

"I know I sound crazy, Lee, but I swear its true. They match all the description and Edward even -"

"You've been spending more time with Edward?" She asked, shocked.

"Well, that night he drove me home, we were talking, and I kind of told him my theory."

"And?"

"Well, he didn't deny it. But that doesn't have anything to do with this."

"It does actually," Leah said softly.

I groaned, exasperated. No one was making sense. It was like I was on a different radio frequency from everyone else. Like they were all speaking a different language. Like they were all connected and I was the odd one out.

"What don't I know Leah?" I demanded.

"What else do you remember about the legends, Bella?" She asked. I searched my memory, willing myself to recall the stories. "What do you remember about where our people came from?"

I remembered Leah's father telling me that the Cullens could not visit La Push, the stories about the spirit warriors, and the legends of the Cold Ones. And then I had connected the Cullens with the Cold Ones, and I was now positive that they were vampires. And the natural enemy of the vampires were –

"Whoa," I said. Pieces of the puzzle had connected in my mind faster than I could process, but there were still a few things missing. "Do you believe that the Cullens are the Cold Ones, Leah?"

"Yes." She nodded enthusiastically, encouraging me to continue.

"And they are enemies of the people of this tribe."

"Yes. . ."

I sighed. "I don't know. I'm still confused."

"Bella, you almost had it. Okay, just listen, and you didn't hear this from me. You were never here."

"Okay," I agreed.

"The Quiluetes descended from men who could transform into wolves. And that gene has been passed down to the men of our day. When they've reached a certain age of maturity, they can transform also. And it happens suddenly, they begin to show certain signs and they have a temper and then, bam, werewolf."

"Are you serious?"

"Bella, you said the idea of the Cullens being vampires was crazy, right? But you still believe it. So this may be crazy too, but. . . "

"Is that why Jake is ignoring me?" This whole concept of the supernatural was easier to digest than I thought it would have been.

Leah sighed. "Kind of. Sam was the first to transform, and that's why he said he couldn't see me anymore. He was unsure of this whole new way of life and scared of what was happening, and he was dangerous, according to him. He was just protecting me. And Jake is going through the same thing. He's a young werewolf who still doesn't have control over his temper and his body. He still needs more time. But I promise, Bella, he loves you. He'll come to you when he is ready."

I sat with Leah for another two hours; she told me about what it was like dating Sam now, what he had told her about his transformation. Then she made me promise that I wouldn't say a word, and I would let Jake tell me on my own.

It seemed like a big burden to carry, being a protector, responsible for the lives of the tribe and the people in Forks. But I wasn't sure what we all needed protecting from. We all seemed to be doing fine, and the Cullens surely were no threat to anyone. They didn't appear that way to me, at least.

I went home and sat in my room, holding my phone in my hand, expecting Jake to call any minute. But he didn't. I eventually distracted myself with some homework I had to catch up on. It wasn't enough to keep my mind off Jake, though.

My mom knocked on my door, coming in my room with a plate of food. "Dinner," she announced.

"Oh, thanks mom. I would have came downstairs to get something myself, you didn't have to do that."

"Its okay, sweets, I know you've been working hard." She set the food in front of me and sat down on my bed. This can't be good.

"What's up?" I asked, bracing myself for the worst.

"We never talked about last week when Jake was here, or what happened between you two."

"Just a misunderstanding, mom."

"Have you spoken to him?"

"No."

"Bella, you know that your father and I love you, and that we've always loved Jacob and the rest of your friends down on the reservation, but maybe it's best that you focus on college and making new friends and meeting new people."

"Where is this coming from?"

"We heard what Jake said to you that night, Bella, and I'm praying that you're not fighting to get him back. He was disrespectful to you, most importantly, and to us, and to our home. And we don't want him back in your life. He isn't good for you."

"He was upset, mom. We both were. It was a hard situation."

"So you forgive him for what he said to you?" She asked. I shrugged. I hadn't thought about him needing to apologize to me, or me needing to forgive him. I looked at it the other way around.

"There are plenty of guys in the world, Bells. Jake was your first boyfriend, but he's not going to be your last. I don't want you hung up on one guy. You have so much more to experience and to achieve. I don't want to see you give up on any of that."

There was no arguing with my mother. I did see it from her point of view, and my father's. But they didn't know what was going on.

"Who I fall in love with is out of my control. And correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you and Dad get married right out of high school?"

"We did, but I don't want that for you. I want you to do more than I did."

"Why? Are you not happy?" I asked.

"Bella, don't turn this around on me. You know very well that your father and I are happy. But I'm looking out for you as your mother, and your friend. I don't want you to throw away your dreams for a teenage romance."

"Okay," I said, hoping it would appease her. Apparently, it didn't.

"Your Dad got a call from Billy today that you were on the rez. We don't want you going down to see Jacob anymore, we're asking you not to see him. Billy thinks that is the best way, too."

"You can't keep me away from my friends. I'm going to be eighteen years old!"

"As long as you continue to live under this roof, you'd better stay away from Jacob."

**A/N: Okay, loved it, hated it? Either way, review please!**

**Sorry if the convo between Leah and Bella was awkward, but Bella finding out about the wolves was hard to write, and I think her hearing it from Leah was the best way, and the most realistic, considering their close bond.**

**And Renee might have seemed OOC, but thinking about it from Renee and Charlie's POV...they heard Jake yell and scream at their daughter, and say bad things to her, so naturally they are upset with Jake and don't want their daughter with him. **

**Anyway, I'm going to get to work on the next chapters, let me know what you think ! Much love, J.**


	14. Reunion

**A/N: Another chapter up and running! **

**Sorry about my last post, for those of you who noticed, I uploaded a previous chapter instead of CH 13. My apologies!**

**Anyway, this was a hard chapter for me to write, being that I had no idea what was going to happen, haha! But overall, I'm pretty happy with it. I took a few days off from writing and spent some time reading, and I read such an amazing J/B fic that I almost wanted to give up because I felt like my writing was so elementary compared to the one I read. And maybe it is, haha, but your reviews encouraged me to keep at this fic! Ok, sorry for my rambling!**

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer. If I owned it, there would be a LOT more Jacob! :)**CH 14 BPOV

I tried not to count the time while Jake and I were separated. 9 days, 3 hours, 18 seconds, in case you were wondering. Well, I wasn't so sure how accurate I was down to the 'seconds', but either way, it was way too long.

I busied myself with schoolwork, not that there was much of that, and rearranged by bedroom a few times. I moved my bed across my room to the other side, and then decided that it was actually best where it was in the first place. Where it has been for seventeen years, just about.

My parents didn't say anything about my fight with Jake, which I was glad about. I knew that I wanted to be with Jacob, I just had to wait for them to forgive and forget. And I had to wait for Jake to actually call.

He hadn't called. The only one who was keeping in touch with me was Leah. Quil, on the other hand, hadn't answered any of my messages, and I think I knew what that meant. I was happy for him, he would have his friends back.

Leah called and told details about the group, the details that I felt I should know. These were my friends after all, and it was killing me that I wasn't a part of the secret now. I felt excluded, like they had all suddenly decided I wasn't good enough to be friends with anymore.

The last time I felt that way was when I was in the sixth grade. I had been friends with Jake forever, but by sixth grade, all of us had formed our crew and were usually inseparable on the weekends. I had begged and pleaded that my parents send me to school on the rez. I was the odd one out, the only one who didn't go to school with my friends. I smiled at the memory, even though my parents hadn't given in. And I wasn't sure that the school on the reservation would have allowed that, either.

"No, Lee, he hasn't called," I told her for the third time today. Thursday evening, I was lounging on my bed attempting to paint my toenails and have a conversation over the phone. I wasn't succeeding.

She sighed. "I'm sorry, Bella. I was just so sure that he was going to."

"You will be the first one to know, I'm sure," I told her.

"Well, hey, you will see him tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Bella! You forgot?"

I racked my brain for what was going on tomorrow. I came up blank.

"I can't believe you," Leah teased. "The Clearwater family barbeque, duh!"

I laughed. "Oh, of course. How could I forget that?" Leah's family had a huge barbeque every year since forever. They invited basically the entire reservation, or at least I thought so, and Leah's family. There was lots of food, lots of booze, and lots of funny memories.

"And my cousin Emily is coming. Remember, the one you met last year?" Emily was two years older than Leah and I, and we hadn't hit it off last time I met. But for Leah's sake, I was polite. Not that I wouldn't be anyway, but something about her just bugged me. Maybe this year would be different; here's to optimism.

"Yeah, I remember."

"She goes to school in New York, she's going to fly out for the barbeque."

"Oh, cool."

"Speaking of," Leah said, the tone of her voice softer, "hear back from any schools?"

I sighed, "Not yet. I feel like everyone else knows where they're going and I just can't muster up half the excitement they have."

"I'm sure you'll get there, Bella."

"Yeah. What about you?" I capped the nail polish bottle and carefully slid off my bed.

"I, um, actually, I'm gonna take the year off," Leah said.

"Take the year off? You mean you're not going to college?"

"Not this fall at least."

"But, Leah. . ." I wasn't sure why this was so shocking to me. I guess because my parents always talked about college and education and I always figured that I would be going.

"I don't know. I mean, maybe college just isn't for me. I can't imagine being away from my family for that long, just to go to school. And to be away from Sam. . . I don't think I can do it. Not right now, at least."

"Oh. Hey, maybe that's what I should do. Take a year off."

Leah laughed. "Yeah, Charlie and Renee would just die!" I laughed along with her for a while, joking about what we would do with our time off, and then eventually we said goodnight.

Once my nails were dry, I searched my closet, laying out cute potential outfits for the barbeque tomorrow. I wanted something especially flattering, because, well, Jake was going to be there. And I desperately missed him.

I laid out an outfit over my desk chair, and then decided the next afternoon that it just wasn't working. So last minute, I pulled on dark skinny jeans, a simple white tee, and a long gray cardigan. It wasn't completely interesting, but it was better than the ripped jeans and sweater I wore last year.

When we got there, the yard was already bustling with people. The temperature was in the mid-sixties, spring weather, and everyone was enjoying the sunlight. I said hello to those who I recognized, and then found Leah.

She looked almost like she was glowing, wrapped in Sam's arms. Her head was leaning naturally against his shoulder, and he had an arm securely around her waist, biceps peeking out from his tee.

"Hey!" Leah exclaimed when she saw me, pulling me into a hug, momentarily untangling herself from Sam. I smiled up at Sam awkwardly, not knowing what to say. It's not like we were first meeting, although Sam and I weren't super close, but I could feel the tension.

"Hey, Bella," he said, breaking our silent moment. Leah gave me a look, and I knew exactly what she meant. I wasn't supposed to know anything. I was supposed to lie, and act like I had no clue what was going on behind the scenes. And everyone knew I was not good at lying.

"What have you been up to? Putting out forest fires, saving the world?" I teased, laughing awkwardly.

"Something like that," he laughed.

"Um, where's everyone else?" I asked Leah, referring to Paul, Jared, Sam, Embry, Jake, and Quil. Well, mostly Jake.

"On their way, I'm sure," Sam answered for her. Suddenly, I heard Leah gasp and jump out of Sam's arms. She sprinted to a girl getting out of a car.

"Emily!" I heard her call. She walked back toward us, smiling brightly, towing behind her a slim, dark haired girl. I couldn't help compare her to Leah, they looked strikingly similar.

"You remember Bella," she said, in way of introductions, "and this is my boyfriend, Sam Uley."

"Nice to meet you, Sam."

"Likewise."

Leah and Emily began chatting with each other faster than I could keep up. I was watching the two exchange words when Sam turned to me.

"How have you been, Bella?" I was surprised and a little caught off guard by his question.

"Um, okay, I guess."

He nodded.

"I'm not keeping Jake away from you," he said. My breath caught in my throat. I wasn't sure if that was supposed to make me feel better or feel worse. But before I could say anything he was off into the crowd of people.

Leah grabbed me and we found a spot to sit and eat once the food had been served. I wasn't too involved in the conversation, just nodding and smiling when required. I sighed, searching the crowd for Jake, again.

"He'll be here, Bella," I heard Leah whisper. Then, louder, to Emily, "Bella's thinking of going to school in New York, too."

Emily turned to me with a genuine smile on her face. "Really? That's great, Bella. What schools have you applied to?"

I rattled off a list of names that I remembered from my applications.

"Those are great schools. I go to NYU, for fashion. You're going to love the city," she gushed. "There's always something going on, and it's so beautiful and night when everything is lit up. I almost don't want to come home," she laughed. "There's so much shopping, and you can walk everywhere you need to go." I began to be more interested in the conversation when Emily told me everything she loved about college life in the city.

I was enthralled by the vastness of it, the tales of the city. She obviously loved every second of it. It sounded so different from anything I had experienced in Forks, and I felt a sense of excitement and wonder at the way she described it. Maybe this was the feeling that everyone else was talking about.

"You have to come visit," she told me. "I swear you'll love it. And you can get a feel for what it would be like, you know, find out if its something you want to do. You definitely have to visit first. Why don't you come down one weekend? You can stay in my dorm and I'll show you what we do in the big city," she laughed. "Leah, you can come too."

"Maybe," she laughed with a wry smile on her face.

I wanted to tell Emily that I'll fly there next weekend if she would let me. It sounded like everything I had dreamed of, school in a big city, doing something different and fun and new, surrounded by every opportunity I could want.

"You have to convince my parents," I told her, although I knew that they would jump on that opportunity. When we finished eating, she did, in fact, convince them, and it didn't take more than five minutes. I could tell my Dad was a bit anxious about sending me so far away, but my mom was figuring out the details already.

I left my mom and Emily alone to chat and Leah pulled me to the fire pit.

"Bella!" I heard a loud, familiar voice. I jumped up to find the whole crew walking up behind us.

"Hey!" I practically attacked Embry and Quil, giving them both gracious hugs. Jared scooped me up and swung me around, always loving to use our height difference to his advantage. Paul gave me a head nod, always the cool tough guy.

Jake was behind them with a sad smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes. I felt every fiber in my body pulling me to him.

"Jake," I breathed, when everyone else sat down.

"Hey, Bells." The gang started up their usual banter behind us, as I forced myself to memorize every line of his face, every image that I had went so long without seeing.

"I miss you," I said.

He hung his head. "I miss you, too."

"I tried to call you, um, a couple of times."

He exhaled a huge gust of air like he had been holding his breath. "I know I owe you a huge apology." He looked up again, meeting my eyes, the said smile reappearing.

"No, Jake, it's okay, I understand. . .I mean, I know.." I trailed off. Wait, I cursed myself, I wasn't supposed to know, I wasn't supposed to understand anything.

Jake held out his hand and butterflies flooded my stomach. This wasn't the first time I had held hands with Jake, but this time it seemed to mean so much more.

I eagerly took his hand and he led me to a patch of grass where we sat down, a short distance from the rest of the Clearwater's guests.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I said some horrible and awful things to you. That night, I. . . I don't know what happened to me, I just cracked."

"It's okay." My voice was barely audible.

"I didn't mean any of it. I just, I love you to death and seeing you with. . .him really hit something in me. It hurt me so much to see you with someone else, another guy. I was worried that I wasn't good enough, that you wanted something else. Especially after the night we had together; it was so amazing, Bella, but then seeing you with him, it made me unsure of how you felt."

I wanted to cry while Jake admitted all this to me. When he was done, I leapt into his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck. I felt him bury his face into my shoulder.

"Jake, I love you so much, and I never for one second doubted how I felt for you. I've missed you, this past week has been so hard without seeing you, or talking to you, or kissing you. . ."

He placed his hands on the sides of my face and looked into my eyes for one long moment before crashing his lips to mine. The kiss was so opposite of the forgiving and quiet discussion we had been having seconds before.

This kiss was full of passion and urgency, and I couldn't help but feel that we were making up for lost time. His tongue swiped across my bottom lip and I granted it entrance into my mouth. He slid his hands to my waist and pulled me desperately closer.

We were both gasping for air when we released each other. My eyes were closed and our foreheads titled together, Jake holding my face close to his own. I could feel his hot breath on my lips.

When we composed ourselves, there was still a lot to talk about.

"We might have a slight problem with my parents," I told him. "They, uh, aren't very fond of you at the moment."

He sighed. "I know. I expected as much. But I know where they're coming from. I have to apologize. Can I come over tonight?" I thought of my mom's words, how she practically banned me from seeing Jake.

"I don't think it's a great idea. They need more time to cool off."

He nodded, standing up and walking with me back to the fire pit. I saw my father saying his goodbyes, and my mother ushering me over to where she was standing with Emily. I looked over at Jake.

"Bella," he said, and I knew he was about to ask me something.

"Leave your window open tonight."

I must have looked at him like he was crazy because he laughed at my expression. "Trust me." He hugged me close one last time and pecked me with his lips on my forehead. "I'll see you tonight."

**A/N: BTW, I didn't have much time to look over my spelling and grammar and all that, so if you catch any mistakes, just ignore them, lol. What did you think of the renuion? REVIEW!**

**P.S.: Did I scare you by throwing Emily into the mix ? Don't worry, Sam is still very much in love with Leah, No imprinting here! But Emily will be playing a different role in this story...**


	15. The Proposition

**A/N: Hope everyone had a great and safe weekend! I'm was working through a bit of writer's block, not uncommon, and this is the result. This chapter is a little sour...due to slight lemons...**

**This chapter contains mature content, so you've been warned.**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight.**

CH 15 BPOV

I sat on my bed, pulling the sleeves of my pajama top past my fingers and hugging my legs to my chest to try and stay warm, while staring at my open window.

I had no idea why Jake wanted me to keep it open. Was he going to scale the wall or something? I didn't know what to expect, so I had dressed in a pair of shorts and long sleeved tee, and pulled my hair back in a pony tail. I was begging myself not to fall asleep, but it was nearing midnight.

I thought about what Leah had told me about the tribe, and about what Jake was now a part of, but it didn't phase me at all. Somehow it fit Jake; his strong personality, his loving demeanor, his toned and muscular body. Okay, so maybe the last part was just my opinion, but hey.

I got up and made sure my bedroom door was locked, just to double check. More like quadruple check. While my back was to the window I heard a thump outside.

I spun around and saw my Jacob, in a pair of jean shorts and nothing else, smiling at me. I was frozen in shock for a few moments.

I walked toward him without saying a word and threw my arms around him. It felt so nice to be back in his arms. He pulled away and we sat across from each other on my bed.

"Scale the wall?" I asked after a moment.

He chuckled and shook his head. "No. It's easier than you think."

"Must be a werewolf thing," I teased. His eyes went wide.

Oh, shit. I wasn't supposed to know about that. I stuttered while trying to come up with a reason I would have said that.

"Um, yeah, I saw a. . . movie. . .the other day and there was this -"

"How'd you know?" He demanded. I knew the jig was up, he would know.

"Lucky guess?"

"Bella," he warned.

I sighed. I didn't want to sell out Leah, but I couldn't lie to Jake.

"Leah," he said after a minute. "I knew she couldn't keep it to herself," he laughed quietly.

"You're not mad?"

He suddenly reached across the bed and pulled me into his lap, crushing me to his chest. "No. I'm actually grateful that she said something."

I pulled my face out of his embrace to look at him. "Why?"

"Well, because now you know, and I can't get in trouble, because I wasn't the one who said something. And, I'm assuming this means you don't think I'm some kind of freak, and want to be my girlfriend again?" He asked cautiously.

"First of all, you are a freak," I teased. "But that doesn't stop me from wanting to be with you." He pulled me tighter against him and I felt his lips on my forehead.

"I love you, Jake."

"I love you too, Bella. So much." He moved his mouth from my forehead, to my nose, to my cheeks, to my lips. I sighed; we had gone too long without this. Ever since our first night together I had wanted this, I had needed to feel this again.

His lips and mine moved together in synchrony, him leading, me following, slowly at first, forgiving. I felt something stir inside of me, hundreds of emotions pushing me to be closer to him. I placed both hands behind his neck, pulling him closer, forcing him to kiss me harder.

He groaned, taking the hint, and used the hand that wasn't supporting him up to wrap around my waist. He tucked my lower body closer to his own and began leaning over me. I obediently fell backwards onto the bed and stared up at him.

"I'm sorry I broke my promise. I'm sorry I left and didn't try to call you and fix things. I'm sorry I ignored your calls. But I never stopped loving you. There wasn't a second when we weren't together when you weren't on my mind. I love you so much; I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," I whispered, pulling his head toward me again where my lips came in contact with his neck. I kissed and sucked on the warm flesh I found there, making shapes with my tongue. I felt his breath become more labored and I moved underneath him to reach his chest. I kissed everywhere I could reach. As I went lower, his breathing became shorter and faster, and when I traced the bulge in his pants with my hands, he hissed.

"Bella," he moaned quietly. His voice was husky and slicked with lust, and it made me react with more desire and more need. He pulled me up to kiss him again and I pushed myself into his body, lifting myself off the bed. My hips collided with his, and he was in exactly the place where I needed him the most, except we were separated by layers of clothes.

The first time I had been with Jake was so romantic and sweet, but this was worlds away from romantic and sweet. It was raw and emotional and needy. The first time, both of us were hesitant and unsure, neither of us knew what we were doing. This time, I wanted him so bad I felt I would burst if he didn't give me what we both wanted. There was a sense of urgency and need that wasn't present the first time.

Jake sucked my tongue into his mouth and sucked on it, causing me to buck up into his body over and over. His hand grazed up my sides underneath my shirt and as it continued on its journey upward, I lifted my arms and slipped out of it. Jake's lips attacked my neck, licking and sucking, and traveled down, across my collarbone, over my shoulder, and to my chest.

I reached down to unbutton his pants as he captured one of my nipples in his mouth, teasing it and rolling his tongue over it.

"Jake," I moaned, too loudly. I felt a huge, warm hand clamp over my mouth. My eyes shot open, and I realized where I was, why we had to be quiet. My parents were only a room away, and it wouldn't be in our best interests for them to find me pinned under Jake without our tops on, on my bed, in the middle of the night.

He wordlessly pushed my hands away from his jeans and pinned my arms down to the bed, gently. I was so in tune to what he was doing that my eyes closed again and my body pulsed beneath his. He kissed down my stomach, inching closer and closer to where I needed him. I felt my shorts being pulled past my hips and I kicked them off once they reached my ankles.

Jake's fingers slipped beneath my panties and slid between me to the part of me that was screaming for his attention. I sucked in a breath, willing myself not to make any noise. Jake's fingers continued to work on me while he slid up my body so his mouth was in my reach. He kissed me roughly, like he was driven solely on need alone, much like I was.

I grasped his shoulders and felt myself holding on to him with all my strength as I rode out waves of pleasure he was causing. He suffocated my moans with his own mouth, and didn't stop kissing me until I couldn't take it anymore. I was gasping for breath when he slid his fingers out of me.

I couldn't help but laugh at the grin on his face. I wanted to return the favor, but a wave of sleep began washing over me. Jake listened for the sounds of my parents in a deep sleep, unaware of what was going on in their daughter's room. I was so content in that moment; I just wanted to wrap myself around Jake and sleep.

So that's what I did. I slept soundly, well into Sunday morning. Jake kissed me awake sometime during that time and said goodbye, that he had to go, but I couldn't clearly remember what time that had been.

I grabbed my scattered clothes and pulled them on, before running across the hall to the bathroom to shower. I let the hot water run over me for longer than necessary, until it ran cold. I leisurely blew my hair out straight and got dressed in jeans and a cute blouse.

I wasn't sure of what the day held, but I knew it would involve seeing Jake. And Leah, and Sam, and the rest of the gang. We were overdue for a bonfire.

My parents were downstairs at the kitchen table enjoying brunch, which wasn't unusual for a Sunday. I poured myself orange juice and leaned against the counter, perhaps looking too happy.

"Morning," I smiled.

Charlie huffed and went back to his newspaper. My mom wasn't as uninterested, in fact, the opposite.

"Sleep well?" She asked. I blushed and looked away from her glare.

"Yeah."

"What are your plans for today?" She got up and cleared the table of the dirty dishes.

"I don't know. Probably hang out at the beach."

"Will Jacob be there?" My father asked.

"Most likely," I answered confidently, knowing full well that he would be. And we would probably be spending some time alone together, too, if I had anything to do with it.

"Bella," he scolded, "I thought your mother and I made it clear that you are not to see him anymore."

I rolled my eyes. "Just because we had one fight? Like you guys never fight! You can't stop me from seeing Jake."

"Why don't you call your friends from school? I haven't seen Jessica or Angela in a while."

"Because I don't want to! I'm going to spend the day at the beach, with my friends. And if you have a problem with that, I really don't care. I'm eighteen." I wouldn't have imagined talking to my parents like this, but I also had never dreamed they would try to keep me from La Push.

My mom changed the subject – her favorite thing to do when she sensed a big confrontation. "What did you think of Emily? Leah's cousin?" She prodded. I sighed, deciding to let the Jacob situation drop for now.

"She's alright." I popped a piece of bread into the toaster as my mom related to me her conversation with Emily.

"She gave me her number, she seems like a really great girl. And she's doing so well at school in New York, did she tell you how much she loves it?"

"Yeah, she did."

"What do you think?"

"Good for her," I mumbled.

"Bella, really. It can be a great opportunity. You can go visit and spend a few days with her, see if you want to go to school there. She said she has friends at some of the other schools there, so you can tour and see what it's like. I think it would be such a great experience, and your father and I trust Emily. You would be in good hands."

My parents didn't want me traveling a few miles to the reservation, but they were willing to let me fly across the county to spend the weekend with a twenty year old girl who they just met?

"I'm sure," I said, not entirely convinced this wasn't a joke.

"Well, your father and I think you should take her up on it."

"Really?"

"Yes. I think it's a blessing that we met her, especially now that we know which schools you've applied to. You can tour and get the full preview of what going there would be like. And you can meet some new people, I think it'll be great."

"Yeah." I rolled the idea over in my head. I've always wanted to visit a city, and New York sounded like a great place to start. And my parents weren't going to come with me and hover over each step I made? Interesting. .

**A/N: Kind of short, sorry, but it's all I've got for now. So my first attempt at writing somewhat of a lemon, so please give me some feedback of that! Reviews are appreciated so so much!**


	16. Promises

**A/N: TGIF! Week went by fast, didn't it? Anyway, chapter 16 is here. So, I had full intentions of writing a great chapter, but I ran out of energy and steam. As a result, this is a bit short and maybe a little boring, but more drama is coming, don't be worried...**

**Thank you for the reviews, alerts, and favorites. Don't be afraid to leave your honest opinion! Let's see if we can make 200 reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight.**CH 16 BPOV

As soon as I took my first step onto the sand, Leah came barreling towards me.

"Yay! Bella's a wolf girl now!" She exclaimed. I could only laugh and hug her tighter, glad to feel like things finally fell back into place.

After my parents had driven off to do some Sunday afternoon errands, I got right in my truck and drove straight to La Push.

"Wolf girl?"

Leah smiled widely. "Yeah, just because we don't turn into giant furry wolves doesn't mean we aren't a part of the pack!"

"The pack?" Is that what we were calling them now?

"Oh, Bella," she sighed, "you have so much to learn." She linked her arm through mine and led me to where she had been sitting earlier, and where the rest of guys were. I rolled my eyes as I took in the scene. Jake and Sam were arm wrestling, amidst Paul, Jared, Embry, and Quil, who were shouting and cheering them on; they sounded like a bunch of wild animals.

"Bella's here!" Leah yelled. Jake snapped his head up, and it was enough of a distraction that Sam took advantage and pinned Jake's arm to the sand.

"That's not fair!" Jake argued. Sam just laughed and shrugged it off.

"Boys," Leah sighed.

Jake sprung up and wrapped his hands around my waist. "You know they're gonna bring this up for weeks now. That I lost to Sam."

I rolled my eyes.

"You're fault," he teased. "I think you should make it up to me," he smiled before kissing me sweetly on the lips in greeting.

"Seriously, do we have to have a conversation about PDA every time one of the girls comes around?" Quil joked.

"Don't be jealous, Quil. You're time will come," Leah said.

"Pfft. Why would I want to be tied down with one girl, when I can have as many as I want?" I chuckled. In Quil's mind, I'm sure he was the ultimate player, but in reality, he was too sweet.

Paul slapped him on the back. "Bro, you'd be begging any girl to tie you down."

Jake took his place on the sand and pulled me down with him. I snuggled comfortably into his embrace, noticing again his lack of a shirt. We broke open a few beers, although I only took a few sips of mine before handing it to Jake. I never really liked the taste.

Quil was always one to have one too many beers, but when he emptied his second in only a few minutes, I got worried. I nudged Jake and motioned toward Quil.

Jake only chuckled. "He's okay. Werewolf stamina."

"What do you mean?"

"He can't get drunk. We burn it off too fast now."

"Really?" I asked, intrigued. I looked back at Quil and I noticed that everyone else was listening to our conversation. I felt embarrassed, after all, I was the newcomer now, I didn't know all the facts.

"Wait, so no more Quil passed out by the fire half-naked?" I teased, pouting like I was serious.

The pack all chuckled, surely remembering the one too many nights we had to drag him home. "Ha, Ha, Bella," Quil retorted.

"What else can you do?" I asked.

"What? Turning into a wolf isn't enough for you?" Embry laughed.

"About that," I began, ready to fire off the loads of questions I had swimming in my head, "how does it work? How do you. . .um, change?"

"Phase," Sam corrected. I was able to get some answers for the next few hours, while the pack enjoyed amazing me with different stories of their new 'lifestyles'.

Jared stood up and brushed sand off of his shorts. "I'm gonna go see Kim. See you tomorrow." He bounded off before it registered that I didn't know who Kim was.

"Who's Kim?"

"Jared's girlfriend," Jake told me.

"Jared has a girlfriend?" I really was the last to know about everything. Everyone just nodded. I sighed, leaning back against the sand with my head on Jake's lap. "Look at us, growing up and getting boyfriends and girlfriends. Soon we'll all be graduated and headed off to college." It really was coming up soon, frighteningly soon. A few more months and I will be done with high school. The thought hadn't set it yet.

No one commented on what I had to say, and as I looked around, each of us seemed to be in our own worlds. I panicked, did I say something wrong?

"Can you stay over tonight, Bella?" Leah asked, clearly an effort to change the subject. Emily's going to be there, too. She is off of school for another week."

"Yeah, I'd like to." The rest of the night was quiet and pretty uneventful. We packed up and I said a passionate goodnight to Jake before heading to Leah's. When I first called to let my mom know, she was a bit reluctant, but when she found out Emily was going to be there with us too, she was all for it. I wondered what Emily had said to her that made my mom love her so much.

Emily pulled me into a hug as soon as she saw me, and acted like we were best friends, like she had known me for years. I guess I judged her too quickly the first time I'd met her; she was actually pretty cool.

"My parents really want to send me to New York. I don't know what you did or said to them, but they want me to go ASAP. I think they're more excited than I am."

Emily squealed. "Oh, I'm so excited, Bella! You're going to have such a great time, I promise you'll love it. I can get you tours during the day while I'm in classes, and then at night, you'll get to see how we do it on the east coast. You're going to meet so many new people, a lot of hot guys. . ." she winked.

"Oh, I. . uh. ." I blushed instantly, and became embarrassed. I didn't want Emily to think I was a prude, or that I would 'cramp her style', but my mind instantly went to Jacob.

"Bella has a boyfriend," Leah said for me.

"Well you'd better leave him in Washington, honey." I laughed uncomfortable, and Leah got the hint. She explained to Emily that we had some early classes, and I had to drive back to Forks in the morning also. Emily and I exchanged numbers, and then I followed Leah to her room.

I couldn't help but notice that Leah was especially quiet. "What's on your mind, Lee?" I asked after burrowing under the covers.

"I should have guessed that Emily would convince your parents to send you to New York."

"Well, they want me to go to school there. They probably would have sent me to see it anyway. Emily is just a good excuse and reason for them to be more excited about it," I explained.

She sighed. "I guess. I mean, I love Emily to death, she's more like my sister than my cousin, but she has changed a lot since she went away to school. It's like, she went to New York City and forgot what it was like to live in a small town. Sometimes she acts like we're so naive and young and inexperienced; all of a sudden I'm too 'small town' or I'm too narrow minded."

"Aw, Lee, you know that she just loves her life in the city. I wouldn't take it personally," I assured her.

"Just promise me you won't get like that," she blurted out quickly.

"Leah," I began, but she cut me off.

"Please don't turn into one of those people who goes away to school and then all of a sudden you're old friends aren't good enough for you anymore."

"That's not going to happen, Leah."

"I know. But I just had to say it, just in case."

I was drifting off into sleep when she spoke again. "Would you ever leave Jake?" She whispered.

"Leah, why are you talking like this?"

"I don't know, Emily just puts all these ideas into everybody's heads. Don't let her make you be her wing woman when you're in New York. Don't forget about Jake."

"Why are you so protective of Jake all of a sudden?"

"He's my friend still, too, even if he is your boyfriend. I don't want to see him hurt. He talks about you all the time Bella, even when he's phased. They guys say you're all he thinks about. Jacob really loves you."

"And I really love him too," I responded. "Nothing is every going to change that and I'm not going to do anything that would change it."

Leah seemed satisfied with my answer, and we were both finally able to get to sleep. I didn't have my school books with me, so the next morning I went home to shower and change and grab my books before school. My mom was in the kitchen with her morning cup of coffee when I got downstairs.

"I didn't know you were home. I thought you stayed at Leah's," she said.

"I had to grab some things."

"How did it go?" She asked.

"I don't know Mom, it's Leah, I stay at her house all the time."

"But Emily was there, right?"

"Yes, mom." I groaned.

"Good. Did you two chat any more about school?"

"A little."

"And?" She prodded.

"And it was great. I gotta go, I'm going to be late for school."

"Okay, have a good day," she called from the porch as I climbed into my truck. I felt like I was in elementary school again, and my mom was watching me get onto the bus safely.

At school, my future trip to New York became the biggest gossip. Everyone was amazed my parents were letting me go, and a few asked if I could take them with me. I certainly didn't like the attention and focus. Apparently, I was the only one considering going out-of-state for college. I guess Washington State received a lot of applications this year.

The day went by slowly and the conversation I had with Leah kept popping back into my head. She was seriously concerned, and I was curious as to why. Had I given her reason to assume I would come back a different person, that I was easily influenced?

And Jake, how could I leave Jake to go to New York? What was I thinking? I couldn't make it through four years of college across the country and only seeing him on breaks from school and holidays. Obviously, I had a lot to think about.

**A/N: Reviews are love 3**


	17. The Surprises

**A/N: I have a little treat! This chapter is def the longest so far and I hope you like! A little girly fun, a little drama, and a little suspense. **

**Thank you so much for the reviews, they always make my day! And we made it to 200! And also, the alerts/ favorites mean so much!**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight. I own a beat up cell phone that needs to be replaced.**

CH 17 BPOV

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday went by painfully slow. I didn't have to put any effort towards my schoolwork, being a senior meant that I got to have a semi- easy year.

I hadn't seen Jacob, but we'd talked on the phone every night, when my parents weren't paying attention to what I was doing. It felt weird keeping my relationship with Jake from them; I shouldn't have to hide it. But for now, I was trying to respect them by giving them some time to cool off. I was sure they would come to their senses soon.

Jake was busy with pack stuff anyway, Sam was demanding a lot of his attention this week. Emily had called me and we made plans to hang out tonight, with Jessica, Lauren, and Angela. Leah had to do something with her family, so she couldn't make it.

Of course, my mom was excited to be hosting a girl's night. Usually, I was always the one at other girls' houses, but this time they were coming to me. My mom had gotten drinks and snacks and everything we could possibly need for a few hours. Kind of reminded me of when I had sleepovers in middle school.

Lauren, Jessica and Angela got to my house before Emily. Angela gave me a hug hello, but the other girls took the opportunity to look around the house. I could feel them scrutinizing every inch. Well, let them judge. There wasn't anything I was ashamed of.

We were sitting in the living room, munching on chips, while Angela told us that Ben had asked her to go out, again.

"I think you should just go out with him. He obviously likes you; he's asked you what, like a zillion times to go on a date? Give it a chance at least," I suggested.

"Not that many," she laughed.

"Is this it?" Lauren interrupted rudely. "I thought you were, like, having a party or something."

"No, just us. And my friend Emily is coming," I told her.

Jessica rolled her eyes discreetly to Lauren but I saw. I pretended not to notice. _Be the better person, be the better person,_ I chanted to myself.

"Emily? Who's that? I don't know an Emily." Lauren stated.

"She's a friend of mine from New York." I heard a car pull up in the driveway and a car door shut. "And that sounds like her. Excuse me." I got up and rushed to the door, suddenly craving the presence of someone else.

I opened the door to the pinnacle of a fashionista. Emily was rocking a dark pair of skinny jeans with a long tee shirt and gray boyfriend cardigan. She had her shiny black hair curled and in a half-done bun covered with a beige retro hat, and high heeled boots in a matching color. On anyone else it might have looked sloppy, but on her, I wanted to buy it.

"Bella!" She threw her arms around me. "Good to see you!" I said hello and led her into the living room, with one of my arms linked with hers. I felt important to know someone so fresh and hip and cool. I felt even better when I saw Jessica and Lauren's jaws drop a little from surprise. Emily and I may not look like peas in a pod, but she sure acted like it.

"Emily, this is Jessica, Lauren, and Angela. They go to Forks High School with me. And this is my friend Emily," I said by way of introductions.

"I love your shoes. Where'd you get them?" Jessica gushed immediately, jumping up to Emily's side.

"Oh, just something I threw on," Emily replied.

"They look like a pair that I have. I just didn't wear them because, you know, we're only hanging out at Bella's." I could tell Lauren was intimidated and jealous; she was pretty easy to read. Angela obviously thought so too; she winked at me behind Lauren's back, stifling a giggle.

"I'm sure." Emily's response left Lauren in a huff. Lauren and Jessica continued to chat with Emily about clothes and designers and things while I shared a laugh with Ang. Emily had such a personality that everyone wanted to be around her, everyone envied her, everyone wished they had her life. I found myself doing the same a few times.

To my surprise, Emily didn't hit it off with Lauren and Jessica, as hard as the two girls tried. She was more interesting in talking to Ang and I.

"Angela," she said, "you're hair is gorgeous. The color is amazing. Is it natural?" Angela blushed, running a hand through her dark hair.

"Yeah, it is. Thanks."

"She has great hair, doesn't she?" Emily said, gesturing toward Angela.

"Beautiful. I'm jealous," I laughed.

"Jealous? Why? Bella you're hair is great." Emily insisted.

I shrugged. "I don't know. It's been the same ever since I can remember. Sometimes I want something different, you know?"

"So let's do something about that," Emily responded, with a sly smirk on her face.

And that, is how we ended up at the convience store, rushing through the aisles, and eventually back to my house, with latex gloves, an applicator bottle, a mixing bowl, a tint brush, and dye.

I was glad my mom wasn't home, or she might want to be in on our pow wow. Emily insisted on paying for everything, and then she set up shop in my bathroom. I was currently leaning over the tub while Emily helped me wash out the excess dye. I heard gasps behind me.

"Oh my gosh, Bella. It looks so great. You're gonna love it," Angela said.

I was excited; I couldn't tell the difference yet, but I could see the reddish color draining down the tub drain. It was making me nervous and excited and worried all at the same time. They wouldn't let me look into the mirror while Emily was blowing out my hair.

When Emily finally allowed me to turn and look, I was impressed. My previously dull brown hair was now a deep auburn, with a red undertone. Emily had blown it out straight, and I looked surprisingly fashionable, like I belonged in the same place Emily did.

It was classy and sophisticated, yet young and fresh all at the same time. A definite success. I loved it. We shared some more laughs while we scrubbed the bathroom, and I tried to rid it of any signs that I dyed my hair in the bathtub. Of course my parents would figure it out, but I didn't want to give them another reason to be mad.

Lauren and Jessica were very eager to help when Emily was involved. It was entertaining to watch. Angela, however, had a curfew, so she helped as much as she could, but then persuaded the girls to leave so that she could be on time.

Emily and I finished cleaning and ended up on the computer in my room. She had brought over some pictures to show me of New York.

The first thing I noticed was the height of the buildings. Everything seemed so tall, taller than any building I had seen around here, that's for sure. And also the lack of green. And the amount of people! We could probably fit the entire population of Forks into one strip of apartments, maybe two.

"This is where I go to school. And this is my dorm, that's me with my roommates Quinn and Samantha. And this is us in central park, and then this one is us getting ready to go out. Samantha designed this dress, she's a fashion major too, isn't it stunning?"

I agreed and looked on with awe as Emily flipped through picture after picture of her and her friends in the city. She was showing me a picture of Times Square when my parents got home. We met them in the kitchen downstairs.

"You girls having a good time?" My mom smiled widely, clearly overjoyed at the sight of me spending time with Emily.

"Yes, I was just showing Bella some pictures of where I go to school."

"That's great!" It was silent for a moment, and I noticed my mom share an unspoken conversation with Emily. I narrowed my eyes – this couldn't be good.

"Well, I should be going, I'm flying back to New York tomorrow. But I'm sure I'll be hearing from you soon, Bella, it was so good being able to catch up." She squeezed me into a hug and I smiled.

"It was. Thanks for helping me out with schools and everything. Your advice was very helpful."

"Anytime," she said, flashing me with a bright smile. Then she hugged my mom. "And thank you so much Renee, you have a beautiful home and a beautiful family."

My mom beamed, pleased and flattered by the compliment, especially coming from Emily. Once Emily was out of the door and down the driveway, my mom ushered me into the living room where my dad was sitting in his reclining chair. He muted the television when we walked in.

Oh no, this meant it was something important. I hadn't figured out if it was good or bad yet.

"What's going on?" I asked, sitting at the edge of the cushion on the couch, facing my parents.

"Your father and I have something for you," my mom began.

I waited.

"Okay. . . "

My dad pulled out an envelope from somewhere and held it out to me. I hesitantly took it into my hands. It felt thin, like there wasn't anything in it. There was no writing on the outside.

"What is this for?" I asked. It wasn't my birthday, graduation hadn't come yet. . .

"You gonna open it?" My father teased. I bit my lip and flipped over the envelope, sliding my hand carefully underneath the sealed crease. I jumped when the phone trilled.

"I'll get it," my mom shouted, springing up from the couch. "Don't open it until I get back," she instructed. I looked at my dad for a hint, but he wouldn't make eye contact. Now I was really perplexed.

I looked up as my mom came back in the room, phone in her hands, and a frown on her face. "It's Leah. She says it's important." I held the unopened envelope in one hand and grasped the phone with the other, padding into the kitchen for some privacy.

"Hey Leah, what's up?"

"Bella," Leah's voice wavered.

"'Yeah?"

"It's Jake."

My body froze, but my mind began spinning. A nauseous feeling came over me. I threw the phone in the general direction of the table, not noticing that I missed, and pulled a hoodie on, stuffing the envelope in my pocket and fingering my keys.

"I have to go to the reservation," I called. "I'll be back later!" I ran out to my truck, stumbling down the steps, and pressed my foot to the gas pedal. I could hear my heart pounding in my head as I sped down the highway and through the roads that were so familiar. I felt like I couldn't go fast enough.

The level of anxiety and worry burning inside me increased when I saw the number of cars parked outside the Black's house. The only one I didn't recognize was a black Mercedes. I dashed into the house, barely remembering to take my keys out of the ignition and shut the door.

"What's going on?" I demanded as soon as I got in the door. Jake's bedroom door was closed, but slightly ajar, and I heard low talking from inside it. Paul, Embry, Quil, and Leah were quietly sitting on the couch.

Leah rushed to my side. "Um, Jake got into a bit of a scuffle," Leah explained.

I took large strides to his door, but Paul was suddenly in front of me. "You can't go in yet, Bella," he said in a stern voice.

"Paul, if you know what's good for you, so help me God, you will step the hell away from the freaking door right now."

Leah tugged on my arm. "Bella, Bella. Listen. The doctor is in their right now. You can't go in."

"Leah," I sighed in frustration. The threatening tone in my voice was gone as my throat got tight and my eyes filled with tears.

"He's gonna be okay. Just a few, uh, you know, bones need to be set and stuff. . ." she trailed off.

"What?"

"Um, his shoulder and a rib or two. The werewolf in him helps him heal faster, he'll be fine," Leah assured me.

"How did that happen?"

Leah led me to the couch where the rest of the pack was. Paul kept his stance against the door frame, watching me in case I decided to make a run for it, which I was still considering.

"Sam and Jake were. . . having a discussion, when we smelled leech. She's been on our land and we've been on her trail this whole week, so we alerted Sam and Jake as soon as we smelt her. Apparently, she's a visitor and friend of the Cullens." Quil told me. "We were all a bit overzealous, and I might have, um, crossed the boundary line. But anyway, it set off the big vamp, and then Jake got protective and started fighting with him because he came after me. I could've handled it myself, but Jake has to be everybody's hero."

"Is he okay?" I demanded.

"He's fine," Leah told me again. "Carlisle is with him now." She said the name with disgust.

"Dr. Cullen?" I was surprised that Billy and Dr. Cullen were in the same house, given Billy's hatred for the Cullens.

"Yeah. He felt that this was his fault, and besides, it's not like we could take Jake to an actual doctor. They would get suspicious. After all, we do run a pretty high temperature," Embry joked. Well, I could see the logic in that.

After that, all I could do was worry and wait. Paul wasn't letting me anywhere near Jacob's room, and once Dr. Cullen left, Billy announced that Jake needed some time to rest, and no one was to go in his room and wake him, including me.

I was banished to the living room with the rest of the pack.

"Your hair," Leah said suddenly.

"What? Oh yeah, I just dyed it today. Not a big deal. " I waved it off.

"I like it."

"Thanks, Lee."

"I shouldn't be surprised anyway," she laughed. "You were with Emily this afternoon, right?"

"So? What's that supposed to mean?" I felt defensive, and to be honest a little protective of Emily. Leah always had something negative to say about her lately. "It's not like she forced me to dye my hair – I wanted too. Do you think I would let her convince me to dye my hair if I didn't want to? Do you really think that much of me, Leah?"

Leah looked away. "No. Forget it."

I instantly felt guilty. "Lee," I said softer.

"No, really, it's okay. Your hair looks great; I shouldn't have said anything about Emily. I know you wouldn't just do something you didn't want to."

The pack stayed for anther hour or so, but eventually Billy and I were the only ones in the house, besides Jake. "You're welcome to stay tonight, Bella." Billy told me before he retired to his room. I was grateful for his hospitality, and also grateful that I knew about the whole werewolf thing – it made this much easier.

I crept into Jake's room and sat at the edge of his bed, eyeing his bandages. He was shirtless, no surprise there, but his normally smooth russet skin held scattered black and blues, and bandages were placed over his injuries. His arm was in some sort of a sling that extended to his shoulder. I winced as I looked over his condition.

"if you think this is bad, you should see the other guy." I gasped, not realizing that Jacob was awake. He had his perfect crocked grin plastered on his face, despite the pain I assumed he was enduring.

"How are you?" I asked.

"Never been better."

I chuckled. "Jake, I was worried," I admitted.

"Worried? About me? C'mon. I'm invincible." Jake used his good arm to crush me to his side, so I was lying with my back toward him and his arm draped lazily over my waist. He kissed the exposed skin of my neck.

"You dyed your hair," he observed. I bit my lip.

"Do you like it?"

"You're beautiful," he murmured.

"It's not much different. I didn't even think you would notice."

"Of course I noticed. You're my girl." My heart thumped in response to his words. I felt pride and happiness flowing through me at his declaration of love. "Plus, I can smell the dye," he admitted.

"Jake!" I laughed.

"What happened to you today?" I asked. Jacob told me pretty much the same story that Quil had, except Jake seemed bent out of shape over the fact that he hadn't smelled the vampire at first.

"I was in a pretty intense discussion with Sam," he explained.

"About what?" I was curious of anything that had to do with Jake, but even more so when it involved Sam. I couldn't help but feel a sliver of resentment left over from memories of when Sam first disappeared, and then Jake had followed. I know it wasn't purposely, but I was only human after all. Some emotions and feelings were just there.

Jake sighed. "Tribal stuff."

"Oh. " Tribal stuff was usually confidential, so I didn't ask questions. I knew Jake had responsibilities and obligations, and one of those was to keep certain matters between the tribe and the tribe only. I guess that wasn't the case for this, though.

"You know how Sam was the first one to phase?" He asked.

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well, since he was the first, he kind of became the leader, I guess you could say. He knew the most about it, and he coached each of us through the transformation, so it kind of just became his role. But technically, that role is supposed to go to me."

"You? Why?"

"It's all about bloodlines. My father's father's father and all that. I'm supposed to take that place as leader and be the alpha of the pack."

"Really? That's pretty cool, Jake." I was proud of him, even if it was just due to bloodlines and nothing to do with Jake's actual skill.

"I guess. It's just that. . . I feel like it's such a burden, you know, having to look after the pack and have all that extra weight on my shoulders. I might turn it down. It's something I have to think about."

"Oh," I said, forced into silence from my ignorance of tribal happenings for the second time tonight. I was beginning to sweat, most likely from being cuddled up against Jake. I scooted out of his embrace for only long enough to pull of my sweater and toss it to the floor. The bright white envelope slipped out of my pocket, unbeknownst to me.

Jake called my attention to it. "What's in the envelope?"

**A/N: Ooooh, bit of a cliffy, huh ;) Haha**

**So as always, let me know what you think! It's about one thirty in the morning by me, and i've spent the last few hours coming up with this chapter. Plus, I pulled a 9-6 today at school and I am EXHAUSTED! So, now, I am going to bed, and I expect some reivews when I wake up! (Please?) Lol**

**I welcome anyone's feeback, account or no account. Any predictions for the future? What's in the envelope? I have a few tricks up my sleeve but I am open to suggestions :) And those of you who have been reviewing and leaving suggestions - Thank you, and much love..J.**


	18. Decisions

**A/N: Okay, either you guys are really smart or my writing is very obvious. Anyway, I don't want to give anything away, so let's get to the next chapter! I'm very excited to get your input on this one...**

**Thank you so so much for all the reviews! Your eunthusaism is inspiring and motivated me to stay up late and get this chapter done!**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and it's characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. I own an old alarm clock that is going to wake me up in about...ohh...five hours.**

**Also, this chapter implies mature themes, just so you know.**

CH 18 BPOV

_No. Freaking. Way._

I held the thin rectangular paper in between my fingers as I stared at it.

"Bells?" Jake prompted from behind me. I must've been taking small steps backwards because a few seconds later my knees collided with the edge of the mattress and I was sitting down, with my back facing Jake.

The bed shifted and I felt Jake trying to sit up and peer over my shoulder. My reflexes must have kicked into gear because I suddenly stuffed the paper back into the envelope and slipped it out of sight.

"Jake, you're hurt. Lay down, okay?" Jacob obeyed, eying me suspiciously.

"Bells, really, I'm getting better by the second, you don't have to worry."

"I'll always worry," I told him. He rolled his eyes and smiled. I studied the sling and bandages constricting his body. "What's broken anyway? Leah mentioned something but . ."

"It's nothing." Quil was right. Jake did always have to be the hero. He didn't want to admit that he had gotten hurt. While I found that endearing, I also wanted to know the truth. I continued to look at him sternly. He sighed. "My shoulder's out of whack. And two ribs might have been broken."

"Might have been?" I demanded.

"Well, my body already had started healing right away. And Dr. Cullen had to, you know, make sure it would heal the right way."

"And who did this to you again?" Jake shrugged; I was picturing each one of Edward's adopted family in my head, thinking of possibilities. They all seemed so gracious and delicate that I couldn't imaging any of them doing anything to hurt someone.

"I don't know. The big leech – he was just looking for a fight. And I would've given it to him too, if –"

"Emmett?" I asked, cutting him off. Jake looked at me with a confused expression. "They do go to my high school, I know their names, Jake."

"Yeah, I guess. But his brother didn't seem too fond of me, either. I think that one's loverboy," he said, with acid in his voice.

"Huh?" I asked, becoming stiff. Jake didn't know about the kiss, did he? I hadn't told him, and if he'd found out that Edward tried to. . . I didn't even want to think of the consequences.

"You know, the one that has a crush on you. Even though he saved you and everything, I would have liked for him to try and come after me."

"Jake," I pleaded, "don't talk like that."

"Bella, please. You should have seen him. He started the whole thing! He and his wannabe body builder blood-sucking brother. He tried to jump on me too, while I was into it with the big one. If Sam and Dr. Cullen weren't such peace-loving hippies we could have been done and over with this whole thing."

"Edward?" I asked quietly. "Edward wouldn't do that."

"Well, you'd better believe it. And the nerve of him to start rambling on about how I was dangerous and unpredictable! That I had a temper and jumped on Emmett without being provoked – he went after Quil!"

Edward thought he was a better choice for me than Jake? Is that what he meant? Anger boiled inside me, and suddenly I felt a fierce loyalty and protectiveness to Jacob.

But Jake must have noticed the change in my demeanor, because he changed his tone, and the subject. "I'm sorry, baby, I didn't mean to go off like that – it's not your problem. What was in the envelope? You never said."

"Um, it's, uh, nothing." How do you tell your faithful and loving boyfriend that you had one ticket to New York City slowly burning a whole in your pocket?

"It can't be nothing," he pressed.

I sighed. Well, now or never. He was going to find out sooner or later, right?

"You know Leah's cousin Emily, right?" I began. He nodded. "While she goes to school in New York, where my parents want me to go and everything, and they want me to check it out, consider it." I said the words as quickly as I possibly could. It's like ripping off a band-aid – the faster you did it, the less it stings. Although I never understood that concept, it always stings, it just takes a second or two for it to hit.

"I don't get it."

I slowly swiped the envelope from my pocket and handed it to Jake. "It's a ticket to New York, Jake," I whispered. He looked up at me briefly before sliding the ticket out and looking for himself.

It felt like years before he spoke again. I watched his eyes study each word and detail of the ticket before catching mine again. I realized I was holding in my breath and my tears.

"Hey," he said softly, pulling me into his chest once again as the tears spilled over and slid silently down my cheeks. "It's okay."

"I. . .I. . .I don't know what to do, Jake. I don't want to leave but. . ." I wasn't exactly sure how to finish the sentence. I was in love with Jake and I couldn't imagine being away from him. This was only for a short period of time, a weekend or a week at most. But at the same time, something was holding me back from denying the tickets, and I couldn't ignore it.

"But it's your dream," he finished for me. His words only made me sob harder, molding myself against his body and hiding my face. He nudged my chin up so he could see my face, and skillfully, being careful not to irritate his injuries, he wiped the tears from my face. "Bella, listen to me. If I wasn't in the picture, would you go?"

"Jake I can't answer that. You-" I protested.

"Would you?"

"Yes. I mean, I guess, I don't know." Seriously, I was getting very sick of being constantly confused as of late. It wasn't a good state of mind to be in, and for the past few months, I felt like I was under a perpetual fog.

"So go, Bells. Go see the city, go stay in the dorm and tour the schools, get out of Forks a little bit. I will never hold you back from achieving the things I know you've been dreaming about for years. Bella," he continued, "ever since I can remember your first choice has been a big city somewhere. I don't want you to stay here for me and regret it later on. I'll always be here for you."

"But Jake-"

He put his hand over my mouth. "Just try it. For a week. You might hate it and never want to go back. You don't know what's going to happen until you try. And if you do decide that you like it, we'll talk about it when you get back."

Somehow, the tears stopped and a slow smile was forming on my face. I felt like a burden was taken away from me, a weight lifted off my shoulders. Jake understood my conflict, and he was telling me to go. I know neither of us wanted to be apart, but this was just something that I had to do.

"Thank you," I whispered before pressing my lips to his. I was gentle at first, careful not to jostle him or lean myself on any part that would cause him pain, but Jake didn't seem to mind. His good arm traced up and down my leg and I began to get more heated, trailing kisses down his jaw and neck to his bare chest.

I wanted to give Jake something in return, to prove that I was in love with him, regardless of whether I would be leaving to visit New York without him or not. The only way I could think of doing that now, was to give him pleasure and forget the pain he was probably in right now.

I moved my lips back up to his mouth and kissed him deeper and with more intensity than before. He got the hint, and I felt his body respond. I slipped my hand between his tight abdomen and the elastic of his shorts to find what I was looking for.

When I was finished, and sure that Jake was in pure bliss, I smiled and pecked him on the lips sweetly.

"I love you," he murmured.

"I love you too."

I snuggled into his side on instinct, forgetting that I was on the wrong side until I felt him wince in pain. I shot up, moving away. "Jake, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize-"

"It's okay. I wish I could make it up to you, but I promise I will once I get better."

Other thoughts began to flood my mind, and I frowned. Edward had gone too far in what had happened, and I needed to speak to him. This couldn't wait until Monday.

"I have to go." I said to Jake.

He shook his head and grasped my shirt tightly in his good hand. His eyes were still closed. I chuckled and kissed him on the forehead. "Feel better. I'll come see you as soon as I can, okay?"

I tiptoed out to my truck, being careful not to wake Billy. I hope he hadn't been eavesdropping – that would be embarrassing. I shrugged it off for right now, I had other things to worry about. Like Edward's unnecessary concern for my safety in my relationship with my boyfriend. And his eagerness to jump in on the fight.

I dug his brown leather jacket out of the garbage pile in the back of my truck and dumped it on the passenger seat, eyeing it like it was infected. How could I have been so stupid to be intrigued by him, and falsely trusted him? I groaned, and did my best to remember the directions to the Cullen house.

I had only been there once before, but gratefully, I had been paying attention. My truck rattled its way up their mile-long driveway thirty minutes later. I ignored the clock in my truck, insisting that it was way past my curfew, and my parents would most likely be furious. But I knew the Cullens would be awake.

I brushed myself off and grabbed the jacket before hauling myself up the front stairs. The door flung open and startled me before I could knock; I lost my balance.

A pair of cool hands reached around my back to prevent me from falling down the steps and breaking something. _Really? _I thought. _Here I am, planning to march to the Cullen's and give Edward a piece of my mind and I have to trip?_ Ugh.

I pulled myself out of the grasp I knew belonged to Edward, putting a good distance between him and I. I held out his jacket with my fingertips, even though that, too, was threatening to fall from my grasp.

"This is yours." I stated.

"You came by my house at two in the morning to give me back my jacket?" His broad and playful smile caused me to look up at his flawless face. He took it from me and neatly folded it, placing it over his forearm.

I sucked in a deep breath, trying to regain my confidence and remember the reason I was here. "No, actually, I didn't. But I remembered I had your jacket and wanted to return it."

"Oh. Well, thank you. Would you like to come inside?"

I shook my head. "No. I'd like to talk to you alone, if that's okay."

"Of course."

I mustered up all the boldness I could, possibly all that I had in me and looked Edward directly in the eye. "I'm in love with Jacob. And I know what happened before, at the boundary line, with Jacob and your brother. And I heard what you said to him and what you tried to do. So, I wanted to come here to let you know that I am completely in love with Jake and I never want to hear that you said anything to him again about how unhealthy you seem to think my relationship with him is. Because, honestly, it's none of your damn business, Edward."

He looked taken aback for a second, before composing himself and speaking again. "Bella, love can be blinding, believe me, I understand that. But Jacob is a young werewolf, and I saw the way in which he reacted to nothing but a simple misunderstanding. If he ever was to lose his temper with you – I couldn't bear to even imagine what would happen. It's dangerous," he concluded.

"And aren't you just as dangerous?" I countered.

He sighed, with a small smile on his face. "I used to think so. And perhaps I may have once been as dangerous, but I've had years of practice, hundreds even, to perfect my self control."

I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to comprehend what he was saying. Hundreds of years? How old was he, anyway?

"What are you trying to. . ." I trailed off. I didn't get what his point was in all of this – in warning me that Jake was dangerous, in trying to convince me that he had more self control than Jake, like he would be the safer option. _Oh!_

I looked up, searching his eyes, and asked myself why I didn't notice before. Jake had been right about Edward's 'crush' on me, I could see plain adoration in his eyes. And he had tried to kiss me; I just had suppressed the idea that he had feelings for me because it was too complicated to think about at that time. And I didn't want to linger on the fact that I didn't feel the same, and how much that could possibly hurt him. But I was with Jake, and I needed to get that point across crystal clear.

"Bella, I-" he started. He was cut off by the door being swung open with such force that I was surprised it didn't break off its hinges. On the other side was a strikingly beautiful blonde woman, and I was positive this wasn't Roaslie. She was as pale as Edward, and just as flawless, with white-blonde hair falling perfectly down past her shoulders and stunning golden eyes.

She looked me up at down before frowning and turning to Edward. "Who's this?" She demanded.

**A/N: So, as always, reviews are very much appreciated! Account or not, let me know what you love, what you hate, what I can do better. Even if it's only a few words, I'd love to hear it :)**

**Just to clear things up so there is no misunderstandings. Yes, Bella is going to NY. It is not a one-way ticket, however. She is just going for a few days to tour and try things out. And since she was born and raised in a small town, she has always wanted to go to a big city and experience that. If you go back to the first chapter there's a little more about her ongoing ambition to get out of the small town. Anways, review, review, review! **


	19. The Goodbyes

**A/N: Wow, I love the reviews! Keep em' coming :) **

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I am just borrowing her characters.**

CH 19 BPOV

"Five more minutes," Jake mumbled groggily. I giggled as I nudged him with my hands, trying to wake him up.

Watching a sleeping Jake made it very tempting for me to jump back into bed and sleep curled around him. But my parents were expecting me in an hour, and I promised up and down that I wouldn't be late, which is why they were letting me stay at Leah's.

Well, I wasn't exactly at Leah's, but they didn't have to know that. I was with the pack last night, a bonfire, of course, to celebrate and wish me a safe trip to New York. Everyone had been excited for me when I told them, even Leah. As the date got closer, I began to feel more and more excited and nervous about the trip.

Jake had been pretty quiet last night, however. I knew he wanted me to go, but it was going to be hard for the both of us. We had been pretty much inseparable for the past three weeks.

I spent the weekends mostly at his house, and told my parents that I was at Leah's. Thankfully, Billy knew what we were going through, and supported us when we got back together, unlike my parents. He had been trying to convince my father that we were good together, and to back off a bit, but he wasn't very successful. In the meantime, he kept quiet and didn't rat me out when I spent the night.

Usually, Billy knowing I was over held me back from having sex with Jacob. I was too embarrassed at the chance of him hearing us, and even though Jake swore his dad wouldn't know, I wasn't that comfortable with the situation. But the exception to that had been last night – nothing held us back from desperate unbridled love-making.

"Jake." I nudged him again, using more force. I didn't have to hold back with Jacob, I knew he was much stronger than me and I couldn't probably ever hurt him physically. To my amazement, his injuries had healed quickly, and in three days he was back to normal, as if nothing had even happened.

He groaned, his eyes still closed, and reached out his hand to wrap around my wrist. Before I knew what was happening, I was back in bed curled up underneath Jake, with my back to his chest. His body was much bigger than mine, and I was almost fully engulfed by his huge frame.

I sighed, giving into the temptation and allowing myself a few more minutes in Jacob's warm embrace. He had been so sweet and perfect for the past few weeks, making me more in tune to what I would be leaving behind if I chose to go to New York. It definitely wasn't making things easier. My mind drifted over the thoughts of those few weeks, and came to rest on one particular night.

The night I had first gotten the ticket to New York, when Jake had gotten hurt, and when I had gone to visit Edward. I hadn't told anyone, not even Leah, that I had gone to the Cullen's. It was just something I had to do, and although I don't regret it, I didn't want to remember it.

I was never one of those girls who had all the guys drooling over her. So it was flattering to my ego, and surprising, when Edward's motives had come into my plain sight. I had seen the way he felt about me, it was very obvious, and I chided myself for not recognizing it before.

He had someone visiting him, another vampire, and a beautiful one at that, who wasn't very found of me, on the other hand. She had given me dirty and threatening looks for the duration of the time I was speaking with Edward, while she tried her best to wrap herself around him – hold his hand, slink underneath his arm, catch his eye. All were unsuccessful, even I could tell that he was only interested in me. At one point he had gotten completely exasperated with her. . .Tanya, if I was remembering correctly, and kept gently but firmly swatting away her wandering hands.

I had made my position clear, told him not to speak with me again, and driven away, only to get home and enter the inquisition. Of course my parents had waited up for me, wondering why the hell I was getting home at three in the morning. I said that Jake had gotten hurt playing football with his friends, the first thing I could think of, and that I had gone over there to make sure he was okay.

Once the subject changed to the ticket to New York, I thanked them profusely, and they seemed to be pleased with my reaction. But they weren't going to be too pleased if I made us late. I sighed, opening my eyes and untangling myself from Jake, who had fallen back asleep. I swore this boy could sleep through the end of the world.

I glanced at the time on my cell phone, 6:25. I had a bit of time left to spend with Jake, to say goodbye, but I didn't want to spend it watching him sleep. Saying goodbye was going to be hard enough, I didn't need him missing it.

I took some decisive action and climbed over Jake so I was straddling him. He was lying on his stomach, so I reached down and kissed the back of his neck and the curve of his ear.

"Wake up, sleepyhead. I have to leave soon." A second later I felt him shift underneath me and begin to wake up. I lifted myself onto my knees so he could flip over onto his back. His eyes were laced with sleep.

"Morning." I said after kissing him softly.

"What time is it?" He asked.

"Early," I smiled. "But I have to leave soon. I have to get to my parents and then we have to drive to the airport. My flight leaves at ten."

"Have you been up long?" He asked, looking up at me with his gorgeous dark brown eyes. His hands came to rest on my thighs.

"Only about twenty minutes, trying to wake you up." I laughed.

"Oh. Sorry, Bells. You really wore me out last night, I had to sleep it off," he teased with the biggest grin on his face. A blush instantly rose on my cheeks.

"Jake!" I swatted his chest but he caught my arm, pulling me down to kiss him again. He sucked my tongue into his warm mouth and moaned.

"Care to wear me out again?" He asked, smile still plastered on his face. I debated this, but I was pretty sure that there was only one answer to that. I rolled my eyes and moved down to kiss him again.

As we kissed he undressed me urgently, and we wasted none of our time. I ignored the fact that my thighs were burning as I moved myself on top of Jake and watched his eyes shut in pleasure. I soon followed.

By the time seven o'clock rolled around, I was rushing around Jake's room, pulling myself into each article of clothing as I found it scattered around his room. It was the outfit I had chosen to wear for the six hour plane ride – a pair of comfy gray sweatpants and a hoodie. It wasn't the most stylist attire, but six hours was a long time, and I was determined to be comfortable.

Jake walked me out to my truck. "Are you sure I can't ride to the airport with you?" He asked for the second time. As much as I wanted Jake to be with me until the last second, I wasn't sure I would be able to get on the plane if he was at the airport.

"Jake," I sighed, "it'll be too hard to say goodbye."

"It's already too hard to say goodbye," he countered.

"I know. But it's not goodbye," I continued, trying to keep my voice cheery for both of our sakes. "It's just a 'see you later'. I'll be right back here in six days."

"I guess I'll see you later then," he said. I nodded fiercely, willing myself not to the let the tears escape. The sight of Jake upset and the knowledge that I would be across the country without him were becoming overwhelming. He pulled me into a tight hug.

"Call me as soon as you get there. And be safe, please, Bella, I won't be there to catch you from falling or bumping into walls or tripping over your own two feet."

"Jake," I whimpered, my voice cracking. _I can't do this, I can't do this._

"Have a good time; I miss you already." He pressed his lips to mine again, softly and succinctly. "I love you Bells."

I didn't want to leave. I wanted to wrap myself back up in his arms and get back into bed, sleep for a few more hours, and spend the whole day here. In fact, the whole week, the whole month. But instead, I told him I loved him, climbed into my truck, and watched him standing in his driveway through my rearview mirror until we disappeared from each others sight.

Sobs racked through my body, but I pushed the tears away and promised myself the same things that I had promised Jake earlier – everything would be fine and I would be back in no time. But I still had to fight the urge to turn the truck around and speed back to Jake's.

Once I got to my house, the energy and nerves began to fill me again. My father was stacking my things in the back of the car while my mom flittered in and out of the house, handing him more things. I hadn't remembered packing that much.

"Oh Bella!" She exclaimed when she saw me, rushing over and pulling me into a hug. "This is so exciting! My little girl is -"

"Mom," I groaned as she babbled on and on. "Maybe I should give you the tickets. You seem more enthusiastic than me." My mom looked horrified and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't be silly," she said. "You're not excited? I thought you wanted this?"

"I do," I assured her; I didn't want to seem ungrateful.

"Let's go girls, we have a long drive ahead of us." My father ushered us into the car. I sat in the back staring out the window and watched the roads of Forks disappear from under us.

My mom went over the itinerary with me again, just to double check. She handed me an envelope with spending money, much more that I could imagine, but she cut off my protest. I knew my father made good money at his job, and we lived comfortably, but I also knew that my mother could get out of hand if we let her.

I would be arriving at Newark airport in New Jersey at seven p.m. New York was three hours ahead of Washington time, so I knew the day would be going by very quickly, since I was losing three hours. Emily was going to pick me up, drive into New York and we were going to stay in her dorm for the night.

Since it was nearing the end of the school year, she just had two more final exams and would be done for the year. So Thursday she had set me up with tours at two schools, and a third tour on Friday morning. During the weekend, I was at Emily's mercy as far as the plans – I was praying she didn't have anything crazy planned. Then Tuesday I would be headed home.

I had never been on an airplane before, at least not as far as I could remember. My parents had taken me to California once when I was younger, to visit family, but I was too young to remember much. So I was definitely nervous and unsure of what to expect.

The airport in Seattle was full of hustle and bustle, people rushing everyone to where they had to be, some unsure of where they had to be. I fell into the latter category. When we finally found the proper gate, my parents had to say goodbye. I had to pass through security and board the plane on my own.

"Alright honey, have fun, okay? Let us know when you get there. Don't forget your passport. And do you remember where Emily is going to meet you? Oh, and did you bring the map of -"

"Renee," my father interrupted.

My mom squeezed me tightly. "Love you, Bella. Have a good time."

"I love you too, mom." The goodbye with my dad was slightly less high-strung, but emotional just the same.

They stood by the gate while I hauled my bags off to security by myself.

**A/N: So this was sort of a filler chapter. As usual, it's past my bedtime and I don't have time to look this over, so please be patient with any spelling/grammar errors.**

**I would for sure love it if you review!**


	20. Coincidence

**A/N: I finally got a free second to get out another chapter and update! Sorry for the delay, school got very time-consuming, and I had a ton of writer's block and ideas to work out. First of all, CH19 has been updated because there was a little mistake, which a few people noticed. Thank you for poiting it out for those of you who did notice. Newark airport is actually in New Jersey, not New York. Sadly, I'm from NY/NJ, and I should know that, so I don't know what happened with that, haha.**

**Second, I re-wrote this chapter a few different times because I was debating whether or not Edward should make an appearance in NY. But, a different idea popped into my head and I think it works better with future events in this chapter. **

**Third, 250 reviews! I can't say thank you enough to those of you who have been reviewing from the beginning and those of you who are just finding this story. Everyone has something different to say, and a lot of you have given me ideas. So, thank you, thank you, thank you, x 250! Also for the alerts and favorites!**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and it's characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. Only the idea belongs to me.**

CH 20 BPOV

Once I had navigated my way through luggage check and security, everything else went by quickly. The plane boarded a bit later than scheduled , but I was glad for the extra time to calm my nerves.

The flight boarded and I carried myself and my carry-on bag to my seat – the window seat. I wasn't sure yet if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but I sat down and tried to get as comfortable as possible.

There were two seats next to me and I watched each person as they walked by for a sign that they were my aisle-mates. But no one was taking the seat next to me.

I missed Jacob already. He would have been making me laugh right now and forget that I was on a giant airplane that was about to take of into the atmosphere – thousands of feet in the air. Heights had never been my thing.

"Bella?" I snapped my head to see a think girl about my age, with short black hair cropped in a chic style. She was dressed like she was about to walk the runway.

"Alice?" I asked hesitantly. What was she doing here? I moved my things aside nervously, as she shuffled into the seat next to me. When she moved aside I saw a blonde boy looking out-of-place following behind her. That must be her boyfriend, Jasper, I remember meeting them. Why were Edward's adopted brother and sister on a plane to New York? During the school year, on a Wednesday?

"I can't believe what a coincidence this is – us having seats right next to each other, on the same flight!" She squeezed me into a hug and I winced uncomfortably. After all, I had barely spoken to her or spent any time with her, yet here we were, looking like two best friends.

"You're headed to New York?" I asked dumbly. Well, this was a flight to New York, I chided myself.

Alice nodded enthusiastically. Jasper and I are going to visit some friends."

"Don't your parents mind if you miss school?" I must have forgotten who I was talking to.

"Bella," she laughed, "I've been through high school quite a few times now. I'm sure we'll be okay."

"Oh," I mumbled. "Right." I was still suspicious. The same flight, the same day, the same row? It seemed fishy, but I let it slide for now because I couldn't come up with any reasoning, and the flight attendant began to speak over the loudspeaker thing.

She went over the safety packet and emergency instructions and I eagerly strained to hear every detail. Alice, however, just glanced at the brochure and was giggling with Jasper about something. My stress level began to rise as I struggled to remember what to do if any of these situations arose.

Alice must have seen me struggling. "Bella," she began, "don't worry. Everything will be fine. I've been on hundreds of flights and nothing has ever happened. Besides, we wouldn't let anything happen to you." Her smile seemed genuine but I got the feeling there was something else behind her words.

Those thoughts flew out of my mind and the plane began moving. My eyes were glued to the window, watching the scenery and airport disappear. But somehow, I felt calm washing through me, and I was more excited than concerned.

Takeoff was definitely an experience, and it didn't go like I had suspected. But I had a whole other experience once we were safely cruising in the air amongst the clouds.

And that experience was getting to know Alice – she definitely was a trip.

"So, Bella, ready to live the life of a college student in the big apple?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're going to visit colleges, aren't you?" Alice asked.

"How do you know that?" I asked out loud.

Alice smiled widely and rolled her eyes. "The whole school knows, Bella. In fact, the entire town knows."

I groaned. Another disadvantage of being stuck in a small town. Everyone was bound to know every detail of your life, good or bad.

"That's not a bad thing. Everyone was excited for you." She offered. I shrugged, glancing back out the small window, but there was nothing but sky in sight.

"You know, Bella, we will probably be staying not too far from each other. We should meet up sometime while we're here, maybe for dinner or shopping. I'd love to go shopping with you. I know the best stores in the city."

"Uh, yeah. We should," I said, even if I wasn't sure that I wanted to.

"Great! Here's my number." Alice slid a small piece of paper into my hand and I took it, slipping it into my pocket with a polite smile. I hadn't even seen her write it down, did she plan on giving it to me before she saw me?

A flight attendant came around to collect drink orders and dole out snacks not too long after. Alice and Jasper politely declined, but my stomach began to growl. I hadn't realized I was hungry. I crunched on my chips silently, and pulled out a book from my bag.

That got me until three o'clock, with a little over an hour left to this flight. I started to feel antsy and anxious, but again, after only a few minutes, a calm set over me and I was relaxed.

"Alice? Can I ask you something?" I began. An idea occurred to me that Alice would have somewhat of an outsider's opinion on the fight that happened at the borderline a few weeks ago. Granted, it was a few weeks back, but I didn't want anything like that to happen again.

"Sure." Alice closed her magazine and dropped it to her lap, turning slightly in her seat to face me. I took a sip of my soda before speaking again.

I lowered my voice. "What happened a few weeks ago, at the treaty line?"

"Just a misunderstanding. Nothing to be worried about," she replied.

"Well, I'm sure you know I went to Edward to talk to him about it," I prodded, hoping she had more to say on the topic.

"Yes, I'm aware. Edward told us you were concerned that it would happen again. We haven't run into trouble as far as the treaty goes in a very long time, Bella, I can assure you it won't be happening again."

"But what about Edward going after Jacob? Jake said that was unnecessary, and he told me the things Edward said. I don't think that was just vampire versus werewolf."

Alice smiled slightly once again, trying to alleviate the inevitable tension of the situation. We weren't exactly on the same side of things, me and her.

"I'm sure you know by know that Edward has some feelings for you, Bella. And he was only trying to help, in his own way, of course. He just happened to voice his concerns in the wrong way. But he also knows how you feel now, and will not get in the way."

I nodded. It was a satisfying enough answer for now. I guess it was smarter to just leave the issue in the past and move on.

"Who was it anyway? Jacob said they were following a scent of another . . ."

"Yes, we had a friend of ours with us, from back where we lived in Alaska. And that was an error on our part, we failed to inform the tribe that she would be visiting. And the rules and boundary lines weren't explained to her fully. But she is not any danger to anyone in Forks. She doesn't. . .harm humans."

"Oh." I hadn't given much thought to the vampire's way of life, but now I wasn't sure that I even wanted to know. "That was the blonde girl?"

I noticed Alice stiffen slightly, and Jasper slipped his hand over hers. For a second I felt jealously overcome me – she had Jasper with her and I was alone right now, Jacob hundreds of miles away.

"Tanya, yes."

"Well, she seemed totally smitten with Edward," I smiled.

Alice shrugged with a forced smile.

"What? He's not into her?" I was surprised. There was no comparison between me and Tanya. She was brilliantly beautiful, and yet Edward thought I was more worth his time. I was flattered.

"Not exactly." Alice was tight-lipped after that, and wouldn't say anything else about Edward and the blonde-haired beauty.

We landed in Newark at four in the afternoon, well, technically, it was seven. Alice and Jasper lingered with my while I waited for my bags. People were heading in every different direction as I tried to peer over everyone's head and find Emily.

I fished out my cell phone and found her number.

"Bella! You landed already?" She answered.

"Hi Emily. Yeah, I'm at the airport. Where are you?" I heard shuffling in the background and realized Emily wasn't alone.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure right now. . ."

"What do you mean?"

"My friend Kristen is with me, she offered to take the trip with me since I don't have a car here. I've never been to the airport before but she said she knew where she was going. Apparently, she doesn't." I heard someone laugh, presumably Kristen, and Emily trying to direct her.

"Okay, Bella, I think we got back on the highway. We should be there soon."

I tried to mentally prepare myself for this visit, taking a few, deep, semi-calming breaths. Alice and Jasper slid in next to me on the bench.

"Do you have a ride?" Alice asked.

"Yes, I have a friend coming to pick me up, thanks. You?"

"Yes, we're waiting on someone as well." I felt more comfortable, at least I wouldn't be sitting in an unfamiliar airport alone waiting for someone I barely knew. And I trusted Alice and Jasper.

"Would you mind keeping an eye on my things?"

"Sure," Alice responded. I made a dash to the restroom where I was able to freshen up. Reality hit me that I was actually on the other side of the country. It was a surreal feeling. I knew it was about dinnertime back in Forks, so I dialed my parents to get that out of the way. I didn't want them to be worrying.

"Hi Mom, it's me," I said when my mom answered.

"Bella!" She squealed. "How was the flight baby, are you in New York?"

"Almost. I'm waiting at the airport for Emily. She's on her way." I filled my mom in about details about the flight and promised to text her later. Before heading back to my luggage I called Jake.

He answered on the first ring. "Bella?"

"Are you expecting someone else?" I teased. I missed Jake even more just hearing his voice. It made me want to jump on the next flight and fly home. Apparently, he felt the same way.

"No, no, I miss you so much."

"I miss you, too. What's up?"

"Nothing," he answered, "it's boring without you here. Are you with Emily?"

"No, she's on her way. I'm waiting for her to pick me up from the airport.

"You're by yourself at the airport?" I heard Jake grow tense. I debated on whether or not to tell him about Alice and Jasper. It probably wasn't a good idea, but I didn't want him to worry, so I fibbed a little bit.

"Actually, Emily's calling me now, that must be her. I gotta go okay, Jake? I'll call you soon."

"Already? Okay, love you Bells."

"Love you too."

Alice and Jasper were in the same spot when I left them. I sat down next to Alice and sent Leah a quick text to give her an update.

Emily and Kristen finally made their way to the airport and found me with Alice and Jasper. "I'm so sorry," she began, but I cut her off.

"It's fine. I had company. These are friends of mine, we happened to be on the same flight." I introduced Emily and Kristen to Alice and Jasper. Kristen seemed nice, as far as first impressions went. She was a little shorter than me, with dark glossy hair and an exotic look. She was appreciatively eying up Jasper and he pretended not to notice.

I thanked the Cullens and said goodbye as I hauled my bag off and the girls led me to their car.

"Ready Bella?" Emily asked.

"Ready."

**A/N: And thus Bella's adventures in NY begin. I have a few more little things to say. First - if anyone has any ideas on what should happen in NY please please review and let me know what you want to see! I'm not entirely sure whats going to happen yet! Second, I don't like introducing new characters that aren't in the original series (Kristen), but in this case I had too. So if you want a visual of what I'm thinking about this Kristen girl, look up the actress Mila Kunis. Third, were you surprised by Alice and Jasper's coincidental trip to NY? **

**Review!**


	21. The Big Apple

**A/N: A few things to say before I can let you move on to the next chapter.**

**So of course, the reivews are so so so wonderfull! I read each and every one and am always open to criticism and ideas. So thank you! **

**Now, it looks like Bella's trip to NY will be about two chapters, maybe three, I haven't worked it all out yet, but things are going to happen in NY besides college tours and parties and sight seeing (altho those will all happen too). I don't want to give anything away, so I'll stop now.**

**Next, unfortunately, I love NYC but never have enough time to get in a visit- so if any of my description of the city is incorrect, i apologize. I did as much reasearch as i can and tried to be pretty accurate.**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, not me.**

CH 21 BPOV

Driving in the city was definitely not for me. There were too many cars parked on the side of the streets, too many people walking in every direction, too many one way streets, and too many buildings.

I had gotten to know Emily a bit better during the drive, and her friend Kristen as well. I learned that neither of them had any sense of direction outside of New York City. But they did know their way around the Big Apple. They pointed out huge skyscrapers and buildings that were taller than anything I'd ever seen. This was nothing like Forks.

By the time we hauled the few bags I had up to Emily's dorm, we were all exhausted. It had started getting dark, but that didn't stop life from going on around us. Everything was lit up beautifully, like the night was only an extension of the day, just darker.

Emily's dorm was like I had expected. It was a quad- which meant that four people stayed in it and there were two bedrooms with a smaller entranceway or living room, and one bathroom.

"So this is my bedroom," Emily stated, leading me to a room with two single beds lining opposite walls. There was a desk filled with monstrous piles of paper, shelves stacked with textbooks bigger than I'd ever seen, and hundreds of polaroids tacked to the walls. I took time to admire as much as I could and soak everything up. "I have three roommates – Lynn, Debbie, and Heather. You'll meet Heather later, or tomorrow, whenever she shows up. But Lynn and Debbie are already home for the summer. So we have all the space we need. You can sleep here." Emily dropped my bags on the one bed that was underneath the window. I peered out and admired the view.

"Thanks again for letting me stay with you, Em. I'm really looking forward to it, you have no idea." I thanked her again.

"Don't worry about it." Her smile was genuine. "So tomorrow I have the last of my finals, and you have some tours scheduled, right?"

"Um, yeah." I started to shuffle through my bag to try and find the itinerary my mom had sent me off with. I pulled out a bunch of papers now completely wrinkled and smoothed them against my knee. "Tomorrow I have one at Anthem, and later . . .Pace University. Friday is. . ." I flipped through a few pages to find the one I was looking for. "Friday is Pratt Institute." Emily nodded as I went down the list.

Some of these schools I had never ever heard of. I wondered where my mom got the idea from, but I remembered how I filled out application after application mindlessly while I was broken up from Jake. These must have been in that pile somewhere.

"Good. Those are great schools. Kristen can take you, she doesn't have any tests tomorrow, so don't worry about that. And tomorrow night we can go out to dinner and we'll show you around this wonderful place," she laughed.

"Okay."

"So, I hope you don't mind, or think I'm being rude or anything, but I have some last minute studying to do before my exams," Emily admitted.

"No, not at all."

"Thanks, Bella. I promise once these finals are done I'm at your service." She smile again, than plopped herself down at the desk shuffling books in front of her.

I began to feel awkward and out of place, and I didn't know what to do or where to go. Kristen had disappeared off to somewhere and Emily's roommate Heather was nowhere to be found. I sighed and pulled out some literature and information on the schools I would be touring, and got comfortable on the sofa.

I busied myself for a while considering prospective majors. There was architecture, art, design, science, social science, mathematics, English, business, computer science, nursing, psychology, environmental law, graphic design, accounting. . .

The list got longer and longer and began to make my head spin. There were too many choices, too many options. I needed to narrow done my potential majors if I was ever going to pick one.

For starters, I knew I can't handle anything to do with blood, so nursing wasn't an option. I would consider myself creative, but not enough for graphic design. Psychology. . . didn't seem right for me. Mathematics I wasn't great at, so I can cut that off the list.

As I was forming my life path out in my head, a leggy blonde girl stumbled in the dorm room door. I appraised her from a distance, careful to not be judgmental. Her blonde hair fell way past her shoulders, about mid-waist, and complemented her porcelain skin and deep blue eyes that I could see even from where I was sitting. She was thin, and from what I could see, toned.

"Em?" She called out, overlooking my presence. Emily appeared in the doorway in a pair of sweatpants and an oversized gray tee that reminded me of the shirts I borrowed from Jake.

"Hey, Heath. This is my friend Bella." I stood up to introduce myself to who I discerned to be Heather.

"Hi Bella," Heather slurred. On a Wednesday night, really? So I've seen people drunk before, i.e. Quil usually, and I wasn't completely conservative to immediately write her off. But it sure wasn't a good first impression. Emily gave me a polite smile before heading into the other bedroom with her roommate.

I swiftly changed into clothes for bed, and tried to get comfortable underneath the sheets of someone else's bed. I knew I probably wouldn't be getting much sleep, since I was in a strange place, and I had three hours left to my normal day, but ironically, I slept like a baby until the next morning.

Emily courteously left a note explaining her exams started early, so I woke to an empty room. I crept to the door and peeked outside to see if anyone else was awake. I didn't see or hear any movement, so I grabbed my toiletries and allowed myself a warm and invigorating shower. I slicked my hair back into a functional and professional ponytail and slipped into beige slacks and a blue blouse. It seemed college interview appropriate.

Kristen agreed, once she woke and was ready to go, thankful on time. We stopped at a deli not even a block away from the dorm. It was unfathomable to me that anything you could ask for, any time of food or any type of store, could all be located in walking distance and so close together.

Kristen ordered some fancy coffee latte thing and a low-carb, no-fat something or other, while I stuck to orange juice and a plain bagel with cream cheese. It hit the spot and something familiar seemed to calm my nerves.

"Thanks for taking me around today, Kristen. I appreciate it, I wouldn't be able to get around without you," I said sincerely.

She waved off my attempts at gratitude. "Please, it's not a problem." We made small talk through our fast paced breakfast and were off again before the bagel hit my stomach. I hadn't realized we would be walking; I was beginning to regret my choice of footwear.

Even early in the morning, the streets and intersections were lined with cars and people trying to get where they had to go. I had to speed-walk, almost sprint, to keep up with Kristen. For a tiny girl, she sure moved fast.

The street signs, the ones that tell you when it's okay to cross, aren't even controlled by a button. They change automatically, since they probably are needed constantly. In Forks, they get used maybe once a day, if that.

I continued to compare Forks and New York in my head until Kristen stopped in front of me and held out her hands in the direction of a large building. "Anthem Institute," she announced. Butterflies rushed to fill my stomach as I looked up at the daunting brick building. "Call me when you're done. I'll be around. . .shopping," she laughed. "Have fun!" And with those simple words, I was left on my own. I took a deep breath and walked into the school.

Once I found the main office, an admissions rep named Karen enthusiastically began my tour. She handed me stacks of information, some I already had, and asked me questions about prior schooling, my interests, and my plans for the future. I was overwhelmed to say the least. She told me the mission of the school, and a little bit of the history and background of their accomplishments. Then we talked about their career service department, student life and activities, and then the campus.

I got lost just looking at the map of the campus. It was way bigger than Forks High School.

I tried to retain everything she was saying, but at some point I only listened to the parts that were interesting. I could always add in the details that my mom would surely pump me for as soon as my plane landed back in New York.

My tour and interview with Karen lasted a few hours, and it was now after lunch, around two in the afternoon. My stomach began to growl and as I stepped back out in the city air, I dialed Kristen's number. I was swept up in the hustle and bustle and found myself walking along with the crowds, just to keep from being trampled on.

"Hey Bella," Kristen answered.

"Hey. I just finished up at Anthem and I'm in a deli somewhere." I heard Kristen's girly laugh on the other end.

"I'll come find you. Do you know the name of it?" I stepped outside quickly and read off the name, then got on line and scanned the list of lunch items. Kristen found me as I was paying at the register.

"Anything good?" She asked.

"Um, I got some kind of wrap." I shrugged. "Did you want anything?"

Kristen shook her head and told me she had picked something up earlier, and I noticed the bags in her hands. She saw me looking and smiled. "I bought some fabric and a bunch of cool things, I want to make an outfit for you, if you'll let me. I have a great idea in my head already." I have to say I was flattered, and a little taken aback. It wasn't every that someone offered to custom make me an outfit. I didn't know what to say.

"Of course." Kristen squealed with delight and started to gush about colors and materials and fabrics, and I knew why I wasn't going to be a fashion major.

After lunch, we hopped on a bus for about a ten minute ride that let us off a few blocks from Pace University, so I was told. Kristen walked me right up to the front entrance, and again left me to explore on my own. One down, two to go, I told myself.

An eloquent man named Chris took me through the reasons why I should go to Pace. It sounded a lot like the first tour, just a few differences here and there. He boasted about all the great things the school had to offer, and the professional experience the professors were able to relate with their students. Their list of majors was much more extensive, and included finance, marketing, publishing, and web media.

Students that passed in the halls looked like everything I imagined a typical college student would look like. Preppy clothes, tons of books, a bag slung over their shoulder, and surrounded by a group of friends.

I collapsed on my bed when we finally arrived back in Emily's dorm room that evening. I was bombarded with brochures and paperwork that I had promised to look over. I had closed my eyes for only a few minutes when Kristen popped in.

"Hey, Bella, I've got a final tomorrow, so I'm going down to the library to study. You can come if you want, but otherwise Emily should be on her way home, if you don't mind waiting up for her here. Heather's in the other room if you need anything," Kristen said.

I didn't want to follow her to the library since she had studying to get done, and I could use a nap anyway. I assured her I would be fine, and rolled over to my other side and fell asleep.

I woke up sore but fully rested when my cell rang an hour later. "Hello?" I answered.

"Bella, I am so sorry!" I heard Emily say.

"What?" I asked, confused as to what she was apologizing for.

"I got caught up at school and it looks like I'm going to have to stay late and finish up something before the semesters over, a last minute thing I forgot to do or whatever. I was so looking forward to taking you out tonight, I'm so sorry."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I understand."

"Look, I'll make it up to you this weekend, okay? I'll probably be back pretty late, so don't wait up. If you want to go out, I'm sure Heather wouldn't mind you tagging along," she offered. For some reason, shadowing Heather didn't seem like a great night out to me.

"I'll be fine, thanks Em."

"Bella, you're the sweetest ever, I swear." I laughed and gave her the brief version of how my day went. After hanging up with her, I started to fold my clothes from yesterday, so that all my things would be in the same place when it came time to pack again.

A small piece of paper floated to the floor when I was folding up my jeans. It must have fallen out of my pocket, so I bent down to pick it up, and an idea struck me.

I pulled out my cell phone again. "Hey, Alice, this is Bella. . ."

**A/N: So if you need a visual of emily's roomate Heather, i'm thinking Blake Lively or something like that, let me know what you think. BTW - I am neither condoning nor glorifying teen drinking. But it happens in real life, so it's in this story. **

**This chapter was kind of boring sorry, but i felt i couldn't skip over the whole day of Bella touring schools and all that. If anyone has ideas on what Bella's major should be, please leave a review, because I am clueless as to what she should pick. (I'm not saying she will be going to school in NY, but i'm not saying she won't either)**

**I'll do my best to try and get the next few chapters up ASAP since we need to see some excitement and drama, which we will :)**

**And lastly ( forgive me for the long authors notes) as usual i am writing this in the late late hours of the night, or extremely early hours of the morning, however you look at it, so please excuse any spelling/grammar errors and let me know if they are becoming distracting ..**


	22. Girls

**A/N: Hey Everyone!**

**300 Reviews, wow! Love you guys.. Also, thank you so so much for the ideas for Bella's major - I got some pretty awesome ideas so we'll see how that plays out.**

**Dislclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all the characters therein.**

CH 22 BPOV

I was surprised I was even awake right now, let alone functioning. It was nine in the morning on Friday, and I was in the middle of my last college tour. Emily woke me up and rushed me to Pratt Institute.

I was glad this was the last tour of my trip, even though it was only the third, I was getting exhausted and exasperated with pretty much the same speech over and over again. I was anxious to see more of the city – more than I had gotten to see last night.

Alice had picked me up outside of NYU in a car that she claimed was a rental. She said Jasper was off on a guys' night, and she was thrilled that I called her. To be honest, it was definitely awkward the first few minutes or so, but Alice had something about her that made me comfortable.

She chatted with me like we had been best friends for ages, known each other since we were kids. The city at night was an entirely different experience to what things looked like during the day. Everything was lit up with bright lights and flashing signs and neon advertisements that I thought no one could possibly be sleeping through this.

Billboards and posters and advertisements were on every building, stacked so closely to one another. To my surprise and shock, Alice got us last minute into a comedy club that looked overbooked even to begin with. We ate an amazing meal and afterwards I proceeded to laugh my ass off. Alice enchanted the waiter enough to get us a few drinks.

Alice always seemed so pristine and perfect that I was surprised she could be so easy-going and laid back. We window-shopped after that, and I learned that window-shopping is something Alice is not very good at. I had to hold her back from buying everything she saw.

After showing me some more sights in New York, everything she could possibly show me, she drove me back to Emily's dorm and I must have crashed right away. I didn't even know what time it was.

"Any questions?" Asked the woman who had been conducting the tour and interview for the past hour or so. Her question broke through my train of thought and I made myself focus.

"Um, no." I had previously ignored the long list of questions my mother prepared me to ask at every school. It was a very extensive list and I knew she would be expecting detailed answers. But why start asking questions now.

"Great. So I'll show you the rest of campus now." I followed the woman through classrooms and an auditorium and offices. We even passed a few classrooms where exams were being given. I peered through the square glass and imagined myself in one of those chairs, hunched over sheets of paper, marking answers and straining my brain.

I was excited for the prospects of college in general, although I was still currently undecided. It was exciting and inspiring knowing that I would soon be beginning my career and life as an adult. I knew I still had a lot of things to figure out, however.

"Oh my gosh, that took forever," I whined, catching up with Emily outside of the university. She simply laughed and latched her arm with mine.

"Not a winner?" She asked.

"Well, no, I haven't thought about it that much yet. It's a great campus and they have a lot of options. But I don't want to think about that right now," I admitted.

"Bella's ready to get her party on, huh?" Emily teased. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, you know me Em," I said sarcastically. But I was excited to finally see the city during the weekend, and Emily assured me I would be completely satisfied before flying back home to Forks.

Before heading home, Emily took me to Chinatown, which was another atmosphere entirely. There were bright colors, reds and yellows, and shops and stores everywhere I looked. Emily haggled prices like a pro, but I was too shy to even pick something up at any of the kiosks. She ended up with a few cute things.

She led us back to the dorm, where Heather was hogging the bathroom and straightening her long blonde hair, which looked like it could take days. Kristen was assisting.

There was pizza left over from their lunch, so Emily and I scarfed down a few pieces before we began to get ready. It seemed like the girls had set aside time just to get ready. I usually popped out of the shower and tried on maybe two outfits at most, before putting on some lip gloss and mascara and heading out the door. I had a feeling this weekend would be a different experience all together.

And it was. Heather insisted I looked too 'small-town' in my denim skirt and cami, so she insisted I changed. By the end of the night I was in a mini-dress that was short enough to be a skirt on me. The girls had assaulted me with a tanning cream, so I looked like I could actually have gotten tan from the sun.

The dress was gray, with sequins around the neckline and no sleeves. Kristen took the curling iron to my newly darkened hair and curled the edges. Emily expertly applied foundation, bronzer, powder, thick black eye liner, gray eye shadow, long and dark fake eyelashes, and a clear lip shine. I barely recognized myself in the mirror.

Once the rest of the girls were done, they all pulled out their cameras, and I was grateful that I remembered to pack mine. We took endless amounts of pictures, posing in ridiculous and hilarious positions. I began to feel like I belonged there, that I was exactly like they were. I sure looked the part, and I was beginning to feel the part as well.

I wondered if that was a good thing as I thought of home in Forks. Once we were satisfied with the number of pictures taken and coats of lip gloss applied, Heather led the way out. Instead of leading us to the entrance of the building, which I was expecting, she pushed the button for the upward elevator. Confusion must have shown on my face.

"It's open-door night." Heather announced.

"What's that?" I hoped I wasn't sounding too naive.

"Since everyone's pretty much leaving for the summer at the end of the week, everyone leaves their dorm room open and we party!" She sang. I still wasn't getting it, but the concept became clear once we got to the intended floor.

Students were flooding the hallways, some already showing the signs of over-doing it with the booze. Almost every door was open and even more people were crowded inside. Heather recognized a male friend of hers, and in we went.

This went on for a few more rooms, where Emily continuously handed me different types of drinks to try. Apparently, everyone poured out whatever alcohol they had left over and made one big drink, in sort of like a punch bowl; it was quite interesting. I definitely found ones that I was not fond of, but it wasn't so bad. Heather had settled in comfortably with an athletic-type on the old sofa, and Kristen was dominating a game of beer pong. Emily and I were chatting with some girls from her classes, who were reminiscing. I felt kind out-of-place, but kept the smile plastered on my face.

Apparently, it wasn't a very convincing smile. "Not your scene?" Someone asked. The voice sounded rugged and scruffy, and it was close, right over my shoulder.

I spun around to find myself almost chest-to-chest with a very tall, very handsome, very blonde, very built guy. I stumbled backward, trying to regain some sense of personal space.

I looked back over at him again, noticing the way he was dressed- blue jeans slung low around his waist with a white tee shirt underneath an open button down. When I reached his eyes, I noticed his cocky smirk. I blushed immediately and looked away, trying to find where Emily had gone off to.

"Why haven't I seen you around all year?" He asked.

"Um, I don't go to school here," I replied, reminding myself to have my guard up. I had no idea who this guy was; he could be a total creep. I frantically stretched myself to my tip-toes to look over heads.

"Oh, you came here with someone," he said. His voice sounded disappointed, but one glance at his face told me he knew what he was doing.

"Yeah." Technically, I did – Emily, Heather, and Kristen.

The guy took a step closer. "If I was him, I wouldn't be leaving you alone at a party." I laughed nervously, fingering the cup in my hands. I wish Jacob was here right now.

I felt the thoughts in my head of the verge of blurring, but I took another sip of whatever concoction Emily had last handed me anyway. I needed something to do, I wanted to seem cool and collected and not nervous or intimidated one bit. And besides, he did have a killer smile.

"You're really beautiful," he said. I flashed a smile.

"Thank you." Jake's face was in the front of my mind, but I wasn't worried. I was confident that I would never be unfaithful to my boyfriend; I would never ever cheat on Jacob. But a little harmless chat wouldn't hurt.

"Where are you from?" He asked.

"Arizona," I answered before thinking about it. I had no idea why I had picked a random state, but it gave me confidence. I would never see this guy again, why not make things interesting?

To my surprise, he chuckled loudly. "Really?" I nodded, wondering if he could see right through me.

"For some reason I had you pegged from somewhere more up north. . .say. . .Washington State?"

I choked on my drink, droplets falling down my lips on onto my chin as I tried to hold it in. Holy hell. Was that just a really odd coincidence or did I know this guy? I looked into his eyes again – had they gotten darker? And he had that arrogant grin on his face again. What was I missing?

Suddenly, it started to rain. Wait, did that even make sense? I was indoors, how could it be raining? My slightly alcohol-induced brain worked overtime to catch up to my surroundings. I heard a lot of squealing and giggling, and a pair of long slender arms pulled me through the crowd, to the hallway, and down the flight of stairs. My hair had frizzed out in front of me and was sticking unattractively to my face in all different directions. The pounds of mascara and eyeliner that were caked onto my face began to run from the water and dripped into my eyes, causing them to twitch and blink to clear out the makeup.

I ended up in front of Emily's dorm room, but I was alone. I wiped my face clear of the offending water, makeup, and now ruined hair and looked around. The hallway was empty. It must have been the drinks I had. The adrenaline pushed me to run all the way back to Emily's dorm room subconsciously. Right?

I heard shrieking and giggling, and the pounding of footsteps and clattering of high heels in the stairwell. A bunch of students came running down the hallways, all clearly caught in the rainstorm that I had been in.

Emily and Kristen emerged from the group and ran towards me. "Bella! We didn't know what happened to you! Are you okay?" Emily demanded, out of breath, as she peeled out her keys to unlock the door

"Yeah, I'm fine. What was that about?"

"Someone pulled the fire alarm and turned on the sprinklers. It set off the whole floor," Kristen explained. We piled in the door and Emily threw a towel at each of us as we sopped up our wet hair and dried the water from our faces and clothes.

"I don't understand why someone would want to ruin open-door night. Everyone always loves this night." Emily pouted. I shrugged. Then she began to smile widely. "But you had some luck, huh? Who was that gorgeous guy checking you out?"

I blushed, of course, and tried to hide the color on my cheeks with the damp towel. "No one. I don't even know."

"Too bad you ran out of there. You should have stayed. He looked like he would have been a good-"

"I have a boyfriend," I interjected, cutting off Kristen.

"I know," she smirked.

"I wouldn't do that to Jake. I love him."

"I'm sure you do, but that doesn't mean you can't have a little fun while you're-"

This time it was Emily who cut her off. "Lay off, Kris. I know Jacob, and he's a sweetheart- great guy," she said, winking at me.

"Thanks," I whispered to her.

We all sat cross-legged on the couch after changing into dry clothes. "So tell me about this Jacob," Kristen started. "How did you meet?"

"Um, our parents are friends. They've known each other before we were born, so I've known him. . .all my life."

"Aw, how adorable." Kristen's tone was a bit sarcastic, but Emily rolled her eyes and smiled at me, so I knew not to take her too seriously.

"Kristen here is just bitter. Don't mind her," Emily said. I was curious, but not enough to ask Kristen about it.

"Anyway, Bella," Kristen said, giving Emily a pointed look and emphasizing my name, "what do you plan on doing with Jake when you're across the continent at school? Is he coming to school here too?"

"Well, no." I wasn't about to tell her Jake was still in high school. Not that I was embarrassed of dating a guy younger than me, because that didn't bother me, and neither did the fact that he was in high school. But I didn't want to hear how 'small-town' I was for the millionth time.

"So?"

"I don't know yet."

Kristen sighed and changed the subject. "So Heather was eyeing up some decent looking prospects tonight, huh?"

"I guess. For her sake, I hope so," Emily said, then turned to me. "Heather has a big past and a long history," she explained. "She always goes for these jock guys who treat her like dirt and get what they want and then leave. She says she likes it that way because she a commitment-phobe, but we always worry about her."

"She's so pretty though," I exclaimed, "I bet she could have her pick of hundreds of guys."

"See, here's the thing," Kristen began again. "Heather was just like you. She had the guy to take home to mom and dad, and he was gorgeous too, let me tell you. Good looks, good hair, awesome body. Guy had talent and ambition. His family had money too. They went out all through high school. Won perfect couple in their yearbook. Trust me, I saw the picture." I was starting to think that Kristen was a little tipsy. "Anyway, Heather gives up full scholarship to her top pick college to stay with him, 'cause he proposed to her. Then one day he wakes up and decides he can't settle down yet, he hasn't done enough and accomplished what he wants. Bam, she's left cold and broken and regretting turning down her dreams for him."

It was a lot to take in. Emily was rubbing her temples, looking too stressed out for a Friday night. Her eyes were closed, so I couldn't tell what she was thinking.

"Now look at her. On her way to sleeping with the whole football line-up and can't hold down a relationship longer than a one-night stand."

"O-kay, Kris, time for bed." Emily gave me an apologetic look and pulled Kristen off the couch and into one of the bedrooms.

I felt sad for Heather, to be stuck in such a horrible place in her life. I couldn't even imagine what that felt like. And Kristen's point had come across; there was no doubt about that. To some people, romantic relationships, like the one I was in with Jake, were not solid and eternal. And I could see why some people felt that way.

And for Heather to give up a full scholarship and what she wanted so badly only to be dumped and out of options tugged at my heart. But I was positive that nothing like that would happen to Jake and me. Our relationship would for sure stand the test of time.

And with that last thought, I headed off to call Jake. My cell phone had gotten a bit wet during the sprinkler incident, but I wiped off the water droplets and dialed Jake's number. It rang three times before going to voicemail. I frowned, and didn't leave a voicemail. Why wasn't he answering?

Emily walked in, unbeknownst to me. She tapped the red blaring figure on the bedside clock, directing my attention to the time. "It's one in the morning in Forks. I'm sure he's just sleeping," she said softly.

"Oh, right. I didn't realize it was so late already." I blushed.

"Listen, don't let Heather's example or what Kristen said bother you. I know I was all pushing for you to come to New York and experience the city life and everything. And I'll admit, I kind of figured you wouldn't worry about a boyfriend you had back home. But I know that Jake's really special, and what you guys have is so enviable. I'm not disagreeing with what Kristen said, about not giving up what you want just to pursue a guy, Bella, don't get me wrong. But I wouldn't worry about it. You and Jake can handle it, whether you decide to go to school here or in Washington. I really believe that."

I was slightly stunned that Emily had taken somewhat of a 180. I didn't know that she felt that way about my relationship with Jake. Maybe something changed her mind. Either way, I was pleased.

"Thanks, Em."

**A/N: Soooooo? REVIEW! (Please!)**

**Ok, first let me say that I don't go to an away school so I have no idea how things work! Haha, I hope my ideas weren't too out-there and unrealistic. So who's the guy hitting on Bella? Anyone expect Emily to be supportive of J/B? What did you think of Heather's story? Let me know :)**

**Also, just a side point / explanation: I decided only to write about Alice and Bella's trip as the night before because I wasn't sure if I could write any more than that about their time together. DOn't worry, Alice will get some more time in this story. And yes, I skipped over a night of Bella's trip in NY, but I really need some Jake action soon! One more chapter of NY before we head back to Forks!**

**If you review (and have an account) I'll give you a preview of the next chapter!**

**And one more thing - quick shout out to KayMar0016..a loyal reviewer! Go check out her stuff!**


	23. The Predator

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews / alerts / favorites! If you got the preview of this chapter I hope you enjoyed it and it lives up to expectation!**

**Without further delay, Bella's last night in NY. . . **

**Disclaimer:Stephenie Meyer own Twilight and its characters. I just borrow them.**

CH 23 BPOV

Saturday was warm and busy in New York. We woke up some time after breakfast, and shared a brunch of BLTs that Heather bought us on her way back from wherever she was last night.

"What's the agenda for today?" I asked Emily before biting into my sandwich.

"Mmm," she held up a finger and finished chewing before answering me. "Shopping!"

"Oh, yay!" Kristen squealed. "Heath, you game?"

Heather shook her head. "Can't. I'm leaving tomorrow. The parentals are coming to load up all my crap and get me back home for the summer. I've got to pack. And say my goodbyes, you know," she replied with a sly smile.

"And who will we be saying 'goodbye' to this fine morning?" Kristen giggled.

Heather shrugged. "Dominick. Maybe Carlos. I haven't decided yet."

I ignored the remark that sprung to mind and just stifled a laugh while Emily rolled her eyes.

"This girl has the life," Kristen teased. "You'll say goodbye to us before you leave, right? I mean, just a hug and stuff, not like your other 'goodbyes'. Unless. . ."

"Kristen," Emily sighed.

After helping Kristen gather up some boxes, we hit the sidewalks of the city and I strode in the shopping and fashion district with the wad of cash my mother had given me. So far, Emily had insisted on paying for everything, but I was planning on buying a few thank-you gifts for the girls, as well as gifts for people back home.

By the end of the afternoon, I was wound out, and my arms were burning from carrying way too many bags full of the results of consumerism. A shopping trip my mom would truly be proud of. I barely put a small ding in the stack of cash from my parents, though.

While sorting my things back in Emily's dorm and hoping it would all fit in my suitcase, I presented the girls with their gifts. For Emily I had gotten a cute and shiny pair of earrings she was admiring, for Kristen, a matching wallet and pocket-sized make-up case, and for Heather, a set of colorful glass shot glasses. I wasn't sure that it was the most appropriate thing to give to Heather, but the girls helped me pick out something for her.

I had gotten deck of cards with pictures of the New York skyline on it for my father, a keychain for myself, and few tee shirts for my mom that I hoped would shrink in the wash. Leah got a tee shirt also, and a really cute bracelet. I also got a handful of trinkets for the gang - tee shirts and hats and magnets and the ususal souviners. I had the hardest time trying to find something for Jake. I ended up getting him a mug, which I later decided I would give to Billy instead. The girls persuaded me into a lingerie store, where I blushed the brightest red I had even been the entire time we were in the store.

They thought it was the funniest thing, so they shooed me into a fitting room and threw ensemble after frilly ensemble over the door, insisting that this was the best gift I could give Jake. I ended up surprising myself and buying a few things, not thinking about the fact that I would actually have to wear them. I would deal with that part when I got to it.

After presenting my gifts to the girls, and zipping up the rest in my suitcase, I changed into the outfit I had bought just for tonight. I was going to my first club. And possibly my last. Heather thought I was joking; she was floored when I admitted I had never been to a club.

The four of us got in with ease, thanks to Heather, who knew the doorman. It was loud and bright and pretty much what I had expected and what the girls had described. I got a few drinks in me and eventually even loosened up enough to let Emily and Kristen pull me onto the dance floor, where I learned how to use my hips.

Kristen left us shortly after that, to round up some prospects- her words, not mine. Emily graciously stayed with me, and we settled at the bar as she ordered us a few more drinks. I knew this would most likely be my last one for the night. Emily and I were chatting when a guy walked right up to Emily and asked her to dance. She looked at me apprehensively; I could tell she was unsure as to whether I would be okay if I was left alone.

"Go, I'll be fine," I assured her. As soon as the words were out of my mouth she was gone. I decided to head to the bathroom, but I had to find it first. On the way, I bumped into Heather, who was able to direct me in the right direction. I squirmed my way through the crowd and back to the bar a few minutes later, hopping onto an empty seat. I was looking at the hundreds of people dancing in the main part of the club when I heard a familiar voice.

"You again?"

I almost snapped my neck spinning it around so quickly.

"How are you?" The blonde guy from last night asked as if we were old friends bumping into each other at a bar.

"Hey," I smiled.

"Hey yourself. I thought you were beautiful last night, Bella, but wow, you look amazing tonight."

I felt the blush rise on my cheeks. "Thank y-. Wait, how did you know my name?" I was sure I hadn't given him my name.

"You told me last night," he responded coolly.

"No I didn't." I was adamant. I was absolutely one hundred percent sure that I had not given him my name.

"Honey, you had a few drinks in you, you probably don't remember," he said smoothly. Something told me this wasn't the first time he had used that line. I stood up and narrowed my eyes, but he didn't let me speak. "I didn't expect to see you here, at a club," he said, when the tone of his voice indicated he believed the contrary.

I shrugged and turned away from him, doing my best to indicate that I was not interested. But he was not getting the hint. "Aw, don't be like that. I'm just trying to get to know you. Here," he offered, "I'll be the perfect gentleman, promise." I snuck a glance up at his face - bad idea. His smile was radiant and he looked boyish and innocent in that moment, causing my gaurd to falter a bit. My interest was piked, although I was still struggling to maintain my composure and not get too comfortable, but I wanted to figure him out.

"Okay." I hopped back up on the barstool and flagged down the bartender. Before I could speak, the blonde mystery man had order us drinks and dropped a rather large bill into the tip jar, much more than necessary. "So what's your story? You usually frequent bars and stalk girls?" I teased.

"Only one," he responded and I felt color rise to my cheeks. What was so interesting aboout me though? I was so 'small town' according to most people around here, I had not a clue why this guy was so persistant or what he was after.

"My story," he breathed. "It's not very interesting actually. Yours?"

"It's not intersting, either." I took a sip from my drink, eyeing my company all the while.

"What brings you to New York?" He asked.

"Just visiting," I answered, trying to be as vague as possible.

"Surely there's a reason. You flew across the country by yourself just to visit?" I nodded. "Not running away from anything, are we?" He suggested.

"Nope." I looked him straight in the eyes, which were a smoldering reddish brown, unlike anything I had ever seen.

"No? Parent's divorce? Failed out of school? Stuck in a bad and boring relationship, perhaps?" The cocky smirk I remembered returned to his face. I frowned.

"None of the above. I'm actually in a great relationship, but thanks for your concern."

"A great relationship?" He scoffed. "And that's why you left him back home?"

"For your information -" I began, feeling my defenses rise each second.

He waved me off. "Look, I don't need to know the details. But if your interested, I've got an empty apartment I'd love to show you. You and me, no strings attatched. No one has to ever know, not even your little high school boyfriend." Alarms were going off in my head and reflex caused me to back away.

"Who are you?"

"The name is James." He reached out a hand but it stopped inches away from my body. His attention had been diverted elsewhere, and he was frozen mid-reach. I heard something that sounded like he was hissing, and turned to see where his glare was focused.

Jasper was sternly walking toward us, with Alice one step ahead of him. Before I could say or ask anything, she whisked me away and secured us in a locked bathroom.

"Are you okay?" she demanded.

"Yeah. . ."

She let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God."

"Alice, what's going on?" I asked, not worried, but very confused.

Her facial expression changed in the blink of an eye and a smile was plastered on her face. "It's so funny that we ran into you here. I've been raving about this place all week and Jasper finally agreed to take me. Isn't it great?"

I wasn't budging. "Alice, you'd better explain to me what the hell is going on here before I go out there and get some answers from someone else." I gathered all the courage I had and looked her dead in the eye. She sighed and backed up, slumping in an overly fancy lounge chair that was in the mini sitting room attached to the bathroom.

"Jasper and I saw you, and we saw that guy was obviously hitting on you, and he just didn't look like a good guy, so we wanted to help you out."

"What made you think he didn't look like a nice guy?"

"Believe me, Bella," she warned.

"Actually, he was a nice guy," I lied. "I've hung out with him a few times."

"For five minutes at the open-door party? Yeah, sure." My eyes widened. Alice looked alarmed. "Um," she stuttered, "I was there, too, last night. I might've seen him talking to you."

"I don't believe this."

Alice muttered something under her breath and fished her slender fingers through her short hair. "Edward's going to be furious with me," she murmured. "Bella, listen, James is not a nice guy. He's a vampire."

I thought back to James's flawless pale skin, and deep dark colored eyes. They weren't golden like the Cullen's, maybe that's why I didn't notice. I let this sink in for a moment. "Okay, so he's a vampire. So what?" I knew she was right, that he wasn't a nice guy. I could tell from listening to him talk, and how he knew things about me that I hadn't told him. But Alice's unexplained and sudden appearance was causing my stubborn side to appear.

"He's not. . .a good guy. He's been looking for you," Alice told me. Her revelation sent shivers up my spine. It was haunting to think that someone had been preying on me and I hadn't even the slightest clue.

"Why me?" Alice squeezed her eyes shut tight.

"You can't just be afraid and thank me for saving you, you have to press me for all the gory details," she whined. "Well, you seem like you can handle it. James is a . . .an acquaintance of old friends of ours from a coven of vampires in Alaska. When you came over a few weeks ago to speak to Edward, Tanya grew very jealous of you, because she immediately saw Edward's affinity for you, and your lack of interest in him. So she sent James out to, uh, solve her little problem." Alice closed her eyes tightly in anticipation of my reaction.

"She sent someone to kill me?" I almost shouted. I began to shake and felt my blood run cold at the thought. I wanted nothing more to be safely secure in Jake's arms back in La Push.

"Bella, Bella. It's fine, everything's fine. You're in good hands, I promise. Nothing happened last night, right?" Alice asked. I simply stared in disbelief, and she continued. "I saw what he was planning on doing and we pulled the fire alarms. I swore you would notice me when I ran you to Emily's room," she muttered to herself.

"That was you?"

"Yes," Alice sighed. But everything will be fine now. James is no match for Jasper. He may be brawn and tough, but Jasper has much more experience." I shuddered. Alice sighed. "Don't think about it. You're safe now. No one will hurt you. Let's find your friends." Alice succeeding in distracting me after a while by pushing me off to my friends, who were eager to take millions more photos and dance to the next hundred songs.

Kristen noticed my nerves, which she misinterpreted, and handed me her drink. It was stronger than I expected.

Quil would be proud of the hangover I was sporting the next morning. I shielded my eyes from the light and immediately swallowed the aspirin someone had thoughtfully left out for me.

"Morning," I grumbled groggily as I dragged my feet into the living room.

"Afternoon, actually," Kristen corrected. "Well, we figured out you have zero tolerance for vodka martinis," she giggled. "Emily ran out to get some food. She said we have to leave in an hour to get you to the airport if you want to make your flight."

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Noon."

"Okay, thanks." I shuffled back into the bedroom and tried to pull myself together. I packed up all my belongings and showered quickly before changing into clothes for the plane ride. Then, we ate lunch, loaded up Kristen's car, and headed to Newark. We got there with minutes to spare, so I quickly hugged each of them goodbye, said thank you again, promised to e-mail, and raced through security, to finally end up on the plane, headed back home to Forks.

I slept soundly for almost the entire plane ride, except for the last half-hour, which I spent anxiously flipping through channels on the small television provided and anticipating my return home. I hadn't spoken to Jake – we had been playing phone tag all weekend and never seemed to be able to get a hold of each other.

I knew that my parents would expect me to spend time with them first, though. And I would be landing at eight o'clock west coast time, so that meant I probably wouldn't see Jake until tomorrow after school. Bummer.

The plane landed safely and the rest of the passengers and I unloaded our bags and picked up the rest of our luggage at the baggage claim. I heard a few women begin to murmur and whisper, and I laughed. Apparently, there was some pretty amazing eye candy waiting for some lucky girl that was sending every woman into a frenzy. I hauled my bags through the line and looked for Renee and Charlie.

Instead, I became the envy of every woman in the airport when I jumped into Jacob's waiting arms.

**A/N: What did you think? I know a few of you smarties were expecting James...**

**I actually added a lot to this chapter, mostly Bella and James' conversation, while I was making revisions. **

**Coming up in the next chapter - Bella's back in Forks! What happened while she was gone? Will she make a decision about college? And will we get some more j/b finally? Well, that I can answer - yes! Haha, but tell me your guesses! Even if its wrong - they usually give me some great ideas!**

**REVIEW!**


	24. Home

**A/N: Next chapter! Thank you for the great reviews / alerts / favorites ! They always make my day :)**

**So we're back in Forks, and back with Jake! **

**I have a few surprises up my sleeve, can't wait to hear what you think!**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer own Twilight, I do not.**

CH 24 BPOV

"Keep your hands where I can see them!" Leah shouted from the driver's seat. Jake and I both burst out into laughter, interrupting our needy kisses.

"C'mon, Leah," Jake whined. I giggled.

"Sorry, Leah," I said, raising both of my hands above my head. She just rolled her eyes.

Jake had surprised me by picking me up at the airport, and I got an even bigger surprise when he led me back to the car where Leah was. We had an impromptu reunion in the parking lot of the airport and must have looked like crazy people jumping up and down and hugging. And there might have been a few tears, in Leah and my case anyway.

Jake insisted I sit in the backseat with him and he never let his hands leave mine. I wasn't protesting, after all, I hadn't seen him in five days.

"Thank you for driving, Lee." I said.

"Of course. I kind of had to anyway," she admitted.

I laughed. "Oh. Did Jake pull the 'If you're really my friend you'll do this for me' thing?"

She smiled slightly. "Not exactly. I mean, I wanted to come anyway, but. . ." I turned to Jake when Leah trailed off and didn't end her sentance.

"I went and spoke to your parents," Jake began. "To apologize. About the whole fiasco that happened when. . .I saw you with Edward. . . and what went on that night. So I formally apologized to the both of them. And asked if I could pick you up at the airport. They agreed, but they said Leah had to come, too."

"Oh." I thought this over for a moment. I thought it was really sweet that Jake was mature enough to go and speak to my parents, on his own, nonetheless, and apologize for what both of us were at fault for. I knew my parents considered him the guilty party, however, so I was glad that he had talked to them about things. "So they're good with us being back together?"

"Well, they didn't say that. But they let me come and see you and pick you up instead of them. So that's something, right?"

I nodded. "Definitely."

It was quiet in the car as we continued the trek back into Forks. I snuggled into Jake's shoulder and closed my eyes, letting his body heat and large embrace keep me comfortable.

"So. . . how was New York?" Leah asked. I knew the question was going to come sometime. I hadn't exactly planned an answer that summed up everything in a few words, so I just told her the basics. I had already decided I was going to leave out the part about Alice and Jasper and James and that whole drama issue and instead just put that behind me. No need to send Jake into a frenzy and worry when everything was settled and we were all safe.

"It was a lot of fun. Your cousin is great, Leah. I toured a few schools that were so massive and it felt surreal to be there." I was definitely going to be editing my stories.

Leah looked satisfied enough with my answer, but of course she had more questions. "So any solid plans on schools?" She asked cautiously.

Jake perked up at her question and was waiting for my response as well. "I'm still not sure yet. They are great options, for sure, if I get into any of them."

"Bella, I'm sure you'll get into every single one," Jake said.

"Thanks," I murmured, not sure that that was entirely true. I was itching to change the subject. "What happened while I was gone?" I asked.

Jake smirked and I heard Leah stifle a laugh, but neither of them said a word. "What?" I demanded.

"We wanted you to see for yourself," Jake said, "but Quil has a girlfriend." My mouth opened in shock. "I know, exactly. It's the funniest thing ever."

"But. . .how. . . Quil?" I asked incredulously. The guy who just claimed that he could not be tied down, and insisted he could get with as many ladies as he wanted, and didn't want to settle with one girl?

"Yes, Quil. She's the granddaughter of one of the elders on the reservation. She came to visit for the summer, and she has got pretty little Quil wrapped around her finger," Jake said, about to burst from laughing.

"I'll believe it when I see it," I mumbled.

"You probably won't believe it," Jake continued. "She's a freshman."

"Oh, Quil," I sighed. The boy changed his mind more frequently than rain in Forks. First it was older girls just as flings, although it never seemed to work out in his favor, and now it's a younger girl who he wants to be serious with. Jacob and Leah weren't kidding – I had to see this.

"Oh," Leah added, "and there was this really cool tribal ceremony for the pack, and the girls were allowed to go to this one. It was really intense." I frowned. I had really missed a lot and I was disappointed. I didn't expect things to stop when I left to go to New York, but for all this to happen? When Leah said 'the girls' did that mean Kim and this new girl Claire? Were they all bonding while I was left out? I knew Leah was my best friend and would never try to replace me, but the jealously that overcame me was inevitable.

And a tribal meeting? That I actually would have had the opportunity to go to if I had been home and aware of it? I felt upset that I hadn't known, that Jake hadn't told me about it, I would have wanted to be there. I wish I had been. I wasn't permitted to be 'in the know' about much as far as the tribe went, and I had missed my opportunity.

Jake must have seen my expression, and I saw him give Leah a pointed look and she shrugged. "It's okay. It wasn't anything special," he whispered to me.

I held Jake tightly when I realized we were getting close to home. We only had about five minutes left until we would be pulling up at my house, and I was sure my parents were going to jump on me the second they saw the car pulling up the driveway. And that would mean saying goodbye to Leah, and to Jake, and I wasn't sure I was ready for that yet. I still missed him.

"Do you want me to stop by later?" Jake asked, thinking the same thing I was.

"I'll leave the window open," I teased, and his wide carefree smile shone through – I couldn't help but smile back.

My parents wanted to know every single detail. It was as if I was supposed to remember where I was and what I did from every minute since Wednesday when I had left. Of course, I skipped the clubbing and drinking and Cullen part, and played up how great the schools were, which is what they wanted to hear anyway. My mother asked where her list was, with the questions on it that she had instructed me to get the answers to at each school.

I told her I must have lost it in the bustle of the trip. Then, claiming I was tired from all the traveling, which was partly true, I stumbled into my room and began to unpack. I set aside all the gifts I had gotten for everyone in a line on my dresser. Except for the lingerie – that stayed in the bag and found its new home at the bottom of my closet. I wasn't sure when it was going to make an appearance yet, if ever.

I threw on a long tee shirt and short shorts and climbed into bed, sitting up and facing the window. Thankfully, Jake showed up minutes after. I didn't even have time to get out of bed when I saw him at the window. He raced in and wrapped his arms around me tightly, pinning me to my bed. We hugged and held each other until I had to push him off me so I could breathe.

He sat against the headboard of my bed, shirtless, and pulled me into his lap. "I missed you so much," he gushed, twisting a stand of my hair between his fingers softly.

"I missed you too," I whispered. "I'm sorry I missed the bonfire."

"Bella, please. It was nothing. Just tribal stuff. The girls got to come afterwards, and it was just retelling of some of our legends. Kim knows about the werewolf thing, since her and Jared have gotten pretty serious, just like Leah and Sam or you and me, but Claire and Quil just met, so he can't tell her yet. The legends and stories she heard are still just fairytales to her. You didn't miss a thing, I promise."

"Okay." I nodded, but still wasn't completely okay with the situation. It was going to take a while for me to get over that life went on without me last week.

"Renee and Charlie smother you as soon as you walked through the door?" Jake asked.

"Of course. They wanted to know every detail about school and everything I did in New York. They want answers, about school," I explained, "but I really don't have them right now." I laid my head back against Jake's chest as a yawn escaped.

Jake pressed his lips against my temple. "Rest," he said.

"But you just got here," I protested.

"At least lay down," he compromised. I obliged, and got comfortable lying on my side facing Jake in my bed. It was all I could do not to jump him right there. "The pack wants to have a bonfire tomorrow, to welcome you back. So you'll get to meet Claire, too."

"I can't wait. What time?"

"I don't know. But Leah's going to pick you up. She told me she needed girl time with you and I know not to argue with Leah," he chuckled.

I must have drifted off at some point during the night in Jake's arms, but to my surprise, he was still there the next morning. I assumed that meant neither of my parents had come in to check on me.

Jake was still sleeping, snoring softly, with one hand resting across my waist. I curled into him and refamiliarized myself with his scent. As my body eventually caught up with my mind, I looked at the time and sprung out of bed.

It was a Monday, and if I didn't want to be late for school I had to haul ass. I wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and lounge with Jake, but we both had class, and with only a month left until graduation, I couldn't afford to miss any classes.

Jacob wouldn't budge when I called his name to try and wake him up, so I slipped out, taking a huge risk of leaving him in my room while I showered and my parents were still home, and took a quick shower, then slipped into jeans and a purple blouse. I twisted my hair into a bun, slipped on white sneakers, and didn't bother with any makeup.

"Jake!" I called, nudging him with both of my hands, hoping to create enough force that he would at least feel me shaking him. When his eyelids finally fluttered and he began to wake up, I gave him a quick kiss on the lips and told him to get to school.

I had to race to get there on time myself. And it probably wasn't worth it. The biggest news around school all day was about my trip, and I didn't give out too many details. I hated being the center of attention or gossip and some rumors that certainly were not true.

I handed around my camera, and let the pictures do a lot of the talking, so I didn't have to. The Cullen clan was in school today, except for Edward. Alice gave me a small smile each time I looked her way, but she kept her distance. I felt like we had formed some sort of a friendship while we were in New York, united by a common enemy, but I wasn't sure how to proceed from there.

Teachers in most of my classes were talking non-stop about colleges. Most people already had gotten acceptance letters and had chosen which school they were going to and what their major was going to be and even their summer plans before college. I was still just figuring out what I was going to wear to the bonfire in a few hours.

I felt lightyears behind everyone else, but finally, the bell rang and I was able to go home, homework-free. I grabbed a paper shopping bag from one of my mother's previous excursions and carefully packed up the gifts for everyone. I slid the full bag into the passenger seat of my truck, along with overnight clothes and necessities, just in case, and headed to Leah's.

I was venting to Leah while we sat on her bedroom floor and passed a bag of skittles back and forth. "I go away for a couple of days and I feel like I missed so much! Quil has a girlfriend and you guys had a tribal meeting that I didn't even know about. And that was only a couple of days; imagine if I went away for four years! I would miss everything!" I pouted. "And I'm sure I missed other stuff that I don't even know about."

"Actually Bella. . ."

**A/N: : 0 Cliffie! Sorry, I had to ! Haha, any ideas what Leah is talking about? **

**Review if you hate it, review if you love it, review if you're somewhere in between. Suggestions are welcomed and very much appreciated !**

**Also, thanks to Writer'sBlock7777 for the Claire/Quil idea. . **

**And one more thing, I hope it doesn't seem like the schoolyear has gone by too fast. I know the first chapter of this story is days before the beginning of Bella's senior year, and now its only weeks away from graduation. So I'm sorry if my timeline has been a bit off. . .**

**I have most of the next chapter done, so if you'd like a preview, review and let me know!**


	25. The Buzz

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating! I had a busy weekend. Anyway, thank you so much to those of you who reviewed and if you have an account and got a preview of this chapter I hope you liked it.**

**Thank you for the favorites / alerts as well. I just have a few things to say real quick before I can let you go on to this chapter. First of all, I'm not exactly happy with it, but didn't want to rewrite the whole thing so it's staying as is. Second, it may be a little OOC for Bella, but I'll explain at the end.**

**Also, I am neither advertising nor condoning underage drinking, but it's in this story. So if you don't like it, don't read. M for mature themes, but nothing graphic I promise.**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight.**

CH 25 BPOV

I didn't know what I wanted to do more.

Jump up and down and squeal with Leah or swipe the bottle of Smirnoff that was under her bed.

Leah slid her shiny diamond engagement ring on the third finger of her left hand and held it out to me. It was Leah- a simple silver band with one square diamond in the middle. Effortlessly stunning, just like her. Sam had good taste.

"Leah!" I squealed and hugged her tight, unfortunately with some false enthusiasm. I hope she didn't notice. It wasn't that I wasn't happy for her, I was, but it was just one more thing I missed in only a few days. Life really did go on without me.

"Let's celebrate," I said, digging around under her bed for the now much needed drinks. Fortunately, she had a few bottles, so I pulled them out and began to try and open them.

"Bella," Leah laughed, "they're not even cold. Let's save them for later." I frowned, but handed over the bottles. "Sam and I haven't told anyone about our engagement yet. I was waiting for you to get home. I wanted you to be the first one to know. I've been hiding it from my parents, too, but I think they know something's up."

"Aw, Leah, that's really sweet, but you didn't have to do that." I was genuinely flattered, but still unsure of what this feeling I had was. It wasn't envy, I don't think, at least not envy of Leah and Sam getting engaged. Obviously, I knew it was coming, and I was happy for her. And I wasn't upset that she got engaged before me, because I'm happy with where Jake and I am in our relationship, and I'm sure our time will come sooner or later.

"Of course I did. You are my maid of honor after all." Leah's smile was so bright and wide that I couldn't help but smile back and hug her again.

"Really?"

"Duh," Leah laughed.

I figured out what was bothering me later when we were at the bonfire. Jake pulled me into his arms the second I saw him, and we barely left each other's side the whole time. I got to see firsthand the new relationship budding between Quil and Claire - which proved to provide much of my night's entertainment. Claire was strikingly Quileute; very young with light russet skin and dark shiny hair. She looked sweet and innocent, not Quil's usual type. Yet he hung onto her every word, even though she didn't say much. I could tell she thought the world of Quil.

I carried over my bag of gifts and handed them out to everyone while we were starting the fire. I was glad I had bought a lot of stuff, even if it was kind of random, because I hadn't prepared for Kim and Claire to be there. But I handed them some trinkets anyway.

When I was done I sat down next to Jake in the sand and he put his arm around my waist, pulling me close to him and nuzzling his nose in my hair. "Where's my present?" He teased.

I hadn't thought of that yet. "Oh. . .it's. . .um. . ." Jake picked his head up and looked at me curiously. I blushed and felt the warmth in my cheeks.

"What's got you blushing like that?" He asked, pulling up my chin and forcing me to look at him.

"Food!" Leah shouted, and I thanked God for the distraction. Everyone piled up their plates high with food, and I separated from Jake to eat with the girls. I knew Leah already spent time with Claire and Kim, so I felt like I had to make up for lost time. I was uncharacteristically outgoing as I pelted them with questions.

I learned that I was the only one without a plan. Or at least that's how it felt. And I realized that this was the feeling that had been pestering me all day. Everyone knew where they were going in life and I had yet to figure out what I wanted. Kim was into art and photography so she was going to school to major in art and hopefully open up her own little studio. Even Claire, the freshman, had goals and aspirations and ideas. I was left feeling very inadequate.

After dinner I helped Leah clean up plates and napkins and empty cups. Afterwards, she and Sam stood up in front of the whole pack and showed off Leah's ring. Of course, the pack was thrilled and my welcome home bonfire turned into a congratulations Leah and Sam bonfire.

We laid out blankets on the sand, ones that were long worn out due to nights like these. Leah and Sam were curled up on a blanket somewhere behind us, and Claire and Quil were sitting closer to the water. Paul, Jared, Kim, and Jacob and I were sitting on logs near the fire.

"I need a drink," I announced. Paul chuckled and handed me a bottle of something cold after twisting off the cap. Stupid werewolf strength. I didn't bother to look at the label and read what it was, I put it to my mouth and took a long guzzle. Paul handed a few to Jared and Kim, but Jacob turned his down. I shrugged and continued to drink mine.

Not much later, when I was working on my second, Quil jogged over to us with a worried expression on his face. "Could you guys not drink in front of Claire? She wants to sit by the fire but I don't want her to see you guys drinking."

My jaw dropped in awe. "Are you serious, Quil? Does she know that you drink alcohol like a fish drinks water?"

"I don't anymore," he responded, looking back at Claire.

"She's still there, Quilly, don't worry you haven't scared her away yet." Paul laughed loudly, which surprised me, but egged me on. I had no idea why I was acting so cynical, but I couldn't stop.

I peeked around Quil to see Claire pick up the blanket, drape it around herself, and begin to walk toward us. I could see Quil tense up, still watching Paul and I. Jared and Kim had left to walk on the beach a while ago.

"Want a drink, Claire?" I called, holding out my beer. I couldn't tell if she had heard me, she still was down the beach near the water.

"Bella, c'mon," Jake sighed. "Quil's right. It's not exactly the best example to be setting. She doesn't know that the guys can't get drunk. Plus, she's only fifteen. Besides, isn't two normally your limit?" He gently pushed my arm that was holding the beer down by my side, so that it was inconspicuous.

"Not tonight," I muttered, and heard Paul chuckling next to me again. I turned away from Claire and Quil and drained the rest of my drink. I got up and dropped it into the cooler while pulling out another beer. I felt Jake's eyes on me but I didn't turn around.

I sauntered over to Leah and Sam and plopped myself down ungracefully next to them. I felt a little buzz coming on. I held my bottle out to Sam.

"Would you mind?" I asked with a smile. He rolled his eyes, but opened the bottle with ease.

"You know, you werewolves do come in handy sometimes," I joked.

"I'm glad you think so, Bella," Sam laughed.

I shrugged and gulped down the thick drink, letting it burn my throat at first. "Learn that in New York?"

Leah's words hit in a place they shouldn't have, and I considered a few different responses in my head. But everything was becoming too fuzzy to think about, and I didn't want to fight with Leah right now, since one being that we were never good at being angry with one another, and two, she could probably kick my ass and I wouldn't even know what happened.

"Yeah," I answered. Sam, being the tree hugging peacemaker that he was, quickly changed the subject and began talking about how the first thing Leah said after agreeing to marry him was that she couldn't wait to tell me. I continually took sips from my bottle, and was in no shape to hold a conversation.

Jake noticed too. "Let's go, Bella, I'm going to take you home," he said a little while later. He grabbed my wrist and helped me into a standing position.

"I'm not ready to go home yet," I whined.

"It's close to midnight and you have a curfew, remember?" He reminded me. Actually, I was having trouble remembering anything at the moment.

"Midnight? That's it?" I scoffed. "Please, we didn't even start to party until midnight on the east coast."

"Too bad you're on the West Coast now," he said.

"You're no fun," I said before emptying my current drink and stumbling to the trash to throw it out. I wanted to reach for another one – I was just starting to feel distanced from my thoughts and that horrible feeling; I wanted to forget it even more.

"Look at the girl go," I heard Paul holler.

Jake tugged my hand and pulled me next to him, away from the cooler. "Paul," he growled in warning.

I giggled. "Did you just growl at him? Like a dog?" Jake said nothing, just sighing as he led me to my truck and hoisted me into the passenger's seat. He slipped his hand into my pocket to retrieve my keys, and the warmth of his hands so close to my thighs evoke a whole new feeling in me, one that I welcomed instead of tried to run away from. This was so much better than being serious and thinking about what I wanted to do with my life.

Jake started the car and pulled onto the roads that would lead to my house. In the moonlight filtering through the truck, I could see every line and curve of Jake's body accentuated in the white glow. I suddenly had no other option than to kiss and touch it.

I slid myself up against Jake, praising the bench seat in my old truck, and put one hand suggestively on his thigh while I began to place wet kisses on his neck. He shifted in his seat, and I assumed that meant I was doing something right. I giggled and moved my hand closer to the waist of his cut-off jeans.

"Bella." I ignored his warning and slid my hand up and under his shirt, feeling the solid muscles under his warm skin. I tried to continue, but Jake pulled my hand out of his shirt and back out into the cool air. "Stop, Bella, I'm driving." Jake's expression was stern and serious, exactly what I was trying to get away from.

Rejection washed over me and I put distance between us, so much that I was backed up against the opposite door of my truck, as far away as I could get. Jake sighed and held out his hand, but I didn't take it.

I tripped in my gravel driveway trying to get out of my truck, scraping my hands and ripping my jeans. I was thrown into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Jake didn't seem to think it was funny, however, and he picked me up, threw me over his shoulder and only placed me down on my feet when we were at the front door.

He used my key to open the door, instructing me to stay quiet as he led me inside.

"Why do we have to be quiet?" I whispered, too loudly, although I didn't notice. I clapped a hand over my mouth when I heard myself begin to giggle. Jake groaned when my dad came barreling down the stairs.

"Hi Dad! Jake says we have to be quiet. Why do I have to be quiet?" Charlie's eyes narrowed, but he wasn't looking at me, he was looking at Jake.

I looked between the two of them. My dad looked angry. "What's wrong?"

Charlie put a hand to his forehead, looking stressed. "We'll deal with this tomorrow, Bella, just get to bed."

"Okay." I stumbled up the stairs, sending me into another set of giggles as I heard my Dad begin to talk to Jake. I heard low and deep voices, another serious conversation. I was so sick of serious. I tip-toed past my mom's bedroom and finally made it to my own.

"What has gotten into you?" Jake demanded when he climbed through my window minutes later.

"What do you mean?"

"Giving Quil and attitude at the bonfire, drinking too much, trying to make out with me in the car, while I'm trying to get you home safely? Not the smartest thing, Bella," he scolded.

"I just missed you," I muttered, looking away from him and playing absentmindedly with the hem of my shirt. Jake exhaled deeply and kissed my forehead.

"I missed you, too. Why don't you get changed for bed," he suggested. I walked to my closet on unsteady legs and searched through a pile of clothes for a tee-shirt to wear to bed. Instead, I saw the bag with lingerie lying innocently on the floor. I smiled devilishly and picked it up. I looked back at Jake, who was lying on my bed looking curiously at me. I couldn't use the hallway bathroom to get dressed, so I told Jake to stay right where he was and I shut the closest door, switching on the light.

Liquid confidence was the greatest thing ever. I didn't feel one bit self-conscious or apprehensive about swinging the closet door open when I was only dressed in teeny bits of lace and gauzy blue fabric. Jacob's speechless and pleasured expression helped my ego too.

"Bella," he started.

I didn't want to hear anymore talking, so I quickly hopped on the bed, not very seductively, and straddled his lap facing him. His eyes searched up and down my body, and I smiled with a sense of power and control.

"This is what I got for you in New York," I whispered in his ear before trailing my lips and tongue around it. I heard Jake's breathing become more labored, and smiled to myself. "Do you like it?"

Jake moaned quietly when I moved my hands underneath his clothes.

"Yes, Bells, you look amazing, but are you sure you want to do this right now?" I frowned and pulled away a bit, but still kept contact. Why couldn't he just stop the talking and get to the action already? No more talking serious and being mature – I had had enough of that.

"You don't want me?" I pouted, sticking out my bottom lip more than necessary, and pulling off my best puppy-dog eyes face. I bet Jake would be better at that than I was, since he was half dog. I began to laugh at my own joke, which I hadn't said out loud, and Jake looked at me like I was crazy. I tried to resume my sad face but I wasn't sure if it was working.

"Baby, of course I want you," Jake said, running his warm palms up and down my sides. "But are you even going to remember this tomorrow?"

I groaned. "I had a few drinks, I'm not drunk," I protested.

"Uh huh," he mumbled.

"I'm not!"

Jake responded by rolling his eyes and pulling me in for a deep kiss. Oh, how I had missed his lips.

**A/N: . . .Um, review? Haha, I'm not sure of this chapter, so I'm expecting the worst. But don't hold back, please review! Ok, so let me explain. Is Bella drunk, is she not drunk? Eh, I don't know. Somewhere in the middle. But the point I was trying to make with this chapter is that Bella is feeling very unsure of herself as far as how her post- high school life is going to go, so she's confused (I think a main theme in this fic). She's also upset that she missed so much while she was away and she feels left out. And from my opinion of Bella, she can sometimes overreact, and this is her feeling like everyone has plans and she is the only one who doesn't, when in reality, not everyone knows where they're going.**

**Anyway, that's my long author's note and now its your turn: review! **


	26. Impulse

**A/N: Thanks for all the love for the last chapter! I know if was a take it or leave it kind of thing, but most of you knew where Bella was coming from. Thanks you for the favorites and alerts and on to the next chap!**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

CH 26 BPOV

Jake woke me up Tuesday morning with a kiss before running his way back to La Push. I was in no mood to go to school, but it wasn't like we would be doing anything anyway, so I rolled myself out of bed and into the shower. I stayed under the water until it ran cold, then swiped my hair up into a pony tail and threw on my usual jeans and a tee.

When I saw both Charlie and Renee sitting at the table downstairs I knew I wasn't going to be able to grab the breakfast on-the-go I was looking forward to. I sighed and mumbled a greeting before sticking my head in the pantry and searching for something to eat.

"How was the bonfire?" My mom asked.

I sighed, snatching a granola bar and turning to face my parents. "Fine."

"Harry called to tell us Leah and Sam are engaged," my father said.

I nodded.

"What do you think about that, Bella?" Sometimes my mom could ask the strangest questions. I shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm happy for her. She and Sam are in love; I knew it was going to happen soon."

"Just because you think you love someone when you're eighteen doesn't mean you should get married," my mother continued. I already knew where she was going with this.

"Weren't you eighteen?" I countered.

"Yes, but I was also pregnant with you."

I rolled my eyes, taking a bite of my breakfast bar. "Yeah."

"Are you thinking about getting engaged?"

"Mom! Really? Just because Sam and Leah are getting married doesn't mean that I'm in a rush." It was true, I wasn't eager to marry Jacob right now. I knew it would happen someday, but he did have two more years of high school to finish.

"Well, that's good to hear. That you're not in a rush to be married. But, honey, your father and I need to talk to you about your relationship with Jacob," my mom continued. I sighed and settled down at one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

"What about it?"

"We don't like it," my father stated.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I figured as much. Didn't he apologize already? I thought you guys forgave him and we can move on. It's not like you guys never fought when you were going out."

My mother pursed her lips in a tight line, but my father was the one to speak. "Bella, he brought you home drunk last night! Just because I'm the chief of police doesn't mean that you can get away with things like that. Is this what the group of you do when you stay down in La Push? Because if it is -"

I cut him off. "No, Dad, we don't sit around and get drunk every weekend. And I wasn't drunk last night." I mumbled the last part of that sentence, since the point was debatable.

"Bella, you can't see Jacob anymore," my mother stated flatly.

I began to get up. "I'm going to be late for school. When you guys regain your sense, I'll come back."

I walked out, slamming the door a little too tightly behind me. I took a detour along the usual way to school, and pulled over on the gravel shoulder of the road. I couldn't hold back the sobs and tears that began to escape and roll down my face. It was somewhat cathartic, letting out all my frustration and pent up negative emotion out all at once.

It was a good ten minutes and endless amount of tears later, when I spotted a silver Volvo parked behind me, pulled over on the shoulder like I was.

I sucked in a breath at the sight. While I was staring, the door swung open and Edward sauntered out. What was he doing here? I rolled down the window.

"Edward?" I asked, even though I was sure it was him. No one else had the perfectly tousled bronze hair.

He rushed over to the side of my car at superhuman speed. "Bella?" His eyes searched mine frantically, and he looked inside my truck, too. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

He calmed down a moment later, after I assured him that nothing was wrong.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Oh," he mumbled, "Alice. . .saw you and I wanted to make sure you were alright. School started a half hour ago, you know." I slumped back in my seat as he leaned in the open window. Alice saw me? I sighed, stopping myself from asking any more questions. I didn't need any more superhuman drama, my human drama was enough. If something was going on, I didn't want to know. Ignorance – my new policy.

"I know," I said, "I just don't feel like going."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I decided a little more stalling before heading to school would be alright. "I don't have a plan."

Edward slid in the passenger seat of my car very elegantly. "What do you mean?"

I leaned my head against the back of my seat and turned to face Edward, who was focusing attentively on me, like my words were air he needed to breathe. "Well, we graduate in. . .how many days?"

"Next Tuesday. A week from today," he answered without hesitation. So, that meant two more full days of school, a few finals, and by early next week, I would be a graduated woman.

"Okay, right. So next week we're all graduated and everything. And Jessica and Lauren go off to college in San Fran, Mike goes to WWU and Ben and Angela go. . .well, you get my point. But me – I have no idea where I'm going." I gestured to myself, "Hence, the no plan."

"Ah," Edward sighed, in a moment of understanding.

"So what am I supposed to do? I have the summer and then where do I go?"

"That's up to you," he answered.

I groaned. "That's the problem."

"Do whatever makes you happy, Bella. Where is your first choice college?" He asked eagerly.

"I don't know. I don't even know what I want to study or if I want to go to an away school or commute and stay home or what." I vented to Edward for a while more, and while he didn't say much, it was clear to me he wasn't a fan of me not furthering my education at all.

"How many times have you been to college?" I asked as he chuckled and told me the few places he had gone. Edward was definitely a well-rounded student.

"Okay, well how do I know that I'm making the right choice, the right decision? What if I make the wrong one and never know it, and could have been happier doing something else? It's too much to think about."

"So don't think about it so much," Edward suggested. "Do what feels right, what you want to do. You're putting too much pressure on yourself, Bella. Choose what feels right for you, and don't worry about anyone else. You only have one life," he said with a sad smile on his face. "But don't be afraid to take a risk."

By the time I looked at the clock radio in my car, it informed me that it was now ten forty five, and I was supposed to be in my third hour class. After thanking Edward, and promising him that I was okay to drive, both of us headed to school. Edward persuaded the secretary in the main office to let us in without a fuss, and without an unexcused lateness. Maybe it was a good idea to hang around Edward some more, if he could pretty much dazzle anyone and get anything he wanted. But then again, I had Jake to think about. And, if I remembered correctly, I wasn't too fond of Edward myself. He always seemed to catch me when my defenses were down, like this morning.

We separated ways and I went through my school day in a blur. Teachers were wrapping up their final academic lessons, getting into more of life lessons and things to be careful of when you go to college speeches. Most landed on deaf ears, as the senior class focused on pranks and barbeques and graduation parties and yearbook signing. I hadn't gotten one yet, and I wasn't sure that I needed one. I would remember all the people I wanted to remember.

When both Charlie's cruiser and Renee's car were in the driveway when I got home from school, I knew I was headed for another lecture. I debated getting back in my car and heading to La Push, but I would probably be faced with a longer lecture if I just ditched them. Instead, I took a deep breath to brace myself and walked into the kitchen.

"Bella!" My mother exclaimed excitedly.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"You got a few things in the mail." She handed me a few envelopes, all thick and formal looking. I flipped threw them quickly – all from colleges. There were quite a few in my hand now, and it was overwhelming. The anxiety, suspense, pressure – I couldn't open them yet.

I pushed them back at my mom and picked up my books, ready to head upstairs. My father chose this moment to walk into the scene.

"I'll open them later. I'm going to change and head to La Push," I said.

"La Push?"

"Yeah, you know, the reservation?" I said sarcastically, beginning to take the first steps up the stairway.

"No," my father stated strongly, in a firm and unarguable tone that I had never heard before. It stopped me in my tracks. Neither of my parents had been big on discipline while I was growing up, and I had no idea why they decided to start now.

"Why not?" I retorted.

"Bella, you are not to see Jacob anymore and you are forbidden to go down to La Push."

I almost laughed. "Forbidden? Are you serious?"

"Yes, Bella," my mother answered solemnly.

"You've got to be kidding. This is a joke, right?" Neither of my parents answered. "Well, I'm sorry, but both of you are out of your minds right now. All my friends are down at the reservation, and so is my boyfriend," I began, stressing the word boyfriend. "You can't stop me from going to see my friends. I'm eighteen now."

"Bella, I don't care if you're eighteen or not, you live under my roof and you will abide by my rules." My father was doing most of the talking now, I realized that this was hard for my mother to do – deny me what I wanted and be firm with me.

"I don't believe this!" I shouted.

"Bella, don't strike that tone with me. I'm your father and I know what's best for you and you are not going to La Push anymore, and you are not dating Jacob." I was about to burst with the amount of anger and frustration pent up inside me. If he wanted to play by those rules. . .

"Fine. I get it," I said calmly, "your house, your rules." For a moment, my father looked almost surprised yet pleased with himself. "I guess I won't be living here anymore." I stomped up the stairs rather loudly, with tears rimming my eyes, and pulled an oversized duffle bag from my closet, hastily scooping out draw after draw and stuffing it until the bag could barely zip. I ignored the protests from my parents outside my locked bedroom door.

"Bella, don't be ridiculous, where are you going to go?" From my father.

"Honey, we only want what's best for you. Don't overreact, we're looking out for your own good." From my mother.

Once I was satisfied with the contents of my bag, I slung it over my shoulder and opened the door, barreling past my parents. I wasn't sure if this was a permanent change, but right now it certainly felt like it would be. If my parents weren't going to accept Jake, then I wanted nothing to do with them. I swiped the envelopes off the kitchen counter and placed them on the passenger's seat of my truck, along with my things.

"I'll call," I muttered to my parents, who had followed me outside. For Jake and my sake, I wish I could be firmer and more determined, but seeing my parents heartbroken and worried made me feel guilty and unsure of my decision. But I had to do this. I was old enough to make choices on my own now, and I had to start choosing. And right now, I was going to choose Jake.

**A/N: Ok, so a few surprises in this chapter, huh? I have a few things to say, as usual, haha. So the little chat with Edward - it wasn't planned but when I was writing this chap it just popped into my head. Now, I know it might seem strange, being that Bella and Edward had not been on the greatest of terms when she confronted him at his house, but he came to her when her walls were down, so thats why that conversation happened. **

**Also, Bella's relationship with her parents in this story is a bit different than in the originals, well, its very different. But someone who reviewed this story early on said that if Bella had grown up with the pack she would be a different person, tougher and stuff like that. So, right now her relationship with her parents is strained, because they truely think that Jacob is a bad influence and hanging around with the pack will not help Bella focus on accomplishing things and going to school and all that. So that's why I wrote this chapter the way it is. Sorry if it's too OOC, but work with me people! Haha, sorry for the long author's note..**

**Now your turn - leave a review! Please Please Please Please Please? Thanks in advance :) More reivews make me write faster !**


	27. The Turning Point

**A/N: Thank you for all the love on the last chapter! I love the reviews! (Thats a hint to keep 'em coming! ;)**

**So I wrote this next part and it came out to about 4000 words. Most of my chapters are only 2000, so I'm going to break it into 2 parts. This is the first part, and the next chapter will take off right where this leaves off. **

**So, since I have the next chapter done, that means everyone who reviews gets a sneak peak! **

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and its characters. I just borrow things to change it up.**

CH 27 BPOV

Leah and Sam were sitting with Jacob on his old wooden porch when I rattled up in my truck. By the looks of it, they had just gotten home from school as well. Jacob looked surprised and elated to see me all at the same time. I hadn't warned him I was on my way.

He sprinted over to my truck and opened the door for me. If he saw the giant bag on the seat next to me, he didn't say anything. He pulled me into a warm hug, and I felt my body relax in his embrace. I buried my head in his shoulder and squeezed my arms around him tighter, willing myself not to cry for the second time today.

"Bella, what's wrong?"

I sighed. "Long day."

"Come on," Jake said, holding my hand in his and leading me toward Sam and Leah, who jumped up to say hello.

"What's up Bella?" Leah asked. I figured the whole pack would know anyway, so I didn't mind saying anything in front of Sam and Leah.

"I had a fight with my parents. So I kind of packed up my stuff and . . .here I am." I looked around at the surprised and confused faces on each of them. I sighed again. "Can I stay with you for a few days, Lee?" I asked.

After my words sink in she nodded fiercely. "Of course, Bella; whatever you need."

"Bells," Jake started, then seemed to change his mind. He addressed Sam and Leah instead. "Guys, we'll catch up with you later, okay?"

"Sure," Leah agreed, quick to get out of the way.

Sam looked at Jacob and nodded pointedly, his eyes hinting at Jacob something unspoken, something he didn't say out loud. "I'll see you later. Bye Bella. I hope things work out with your parents."

"Thanks, Sam." When they were both headed home, Jake pulled me into the house and sat me next to him on the couch.

"You're going to have to explain this to me again, Bells. What did you fight about?"

"You," I mumbled. I didn't want Jacob to feel bad that my parents were both against our relationship, when his father Billy was so supportive.

"What do you mean?"

"They don't want us together, Jake. They weren't going to let me see you, or even come down to the reservation. So, I just left. I don't know what came over me, I just had to leave. Nothing is going to stop me from being with you." I leaned into his open arms and rested my head against his strong chest.

"Bella, I. . .I don't really know what to say."

"Me either."

"I wish. . .I mean, I'm sorry your parents feel that way. I don't know how I can make them like me again."

"Let's not worry about it," I suggested, and that was good enough for both of us.

"You can stay here for a few days, if you want," he offered.

"Oh. Well, I didn't think your dad would be okay with that, so that's why I asked Leah. But I would rather stay with you."

"My dad won't care. He loves you, Bells."

I smiled. "Yeah. Okay, well if you're sure its okay. Just until everything goes back to normal."

Jake nodded. We stayed like that for a while, cuddled up on the couch, both too comfortable to move and too mentally exhausted to get up and do something.

When Billy got home, back from wherever he was, Jacob explained the situation, and Billy was more than welcoming. In fact, he insisted I stay with them, and he got on the phone with Charlie as soon as he heard. I tried not to listen to what he was saying - it was hard knowing that my parents were against our relationship whereas Jacob's father was one hundred percent supportive. I didn't want this to cause tension between them, since they had been close friends for so long.

I got my bag from the car and settled it in Jacob's room. He had homework to do, so I helped him, and pretty much ended up doing it for him. He was distracted by everything.

"So what do we get for sine of theta?" I asked, pointing out another problem in his old math textbook. Jake was sitting cross-legged on his bed, while I was lying on my stomach close to him, and the book between both of us.

"Twenty seven," Jake answered monotonously, twisting a piece of my hair between his fingers and staring at my face. I looked up at him and giggled.

"Can't you at least try?"

Jake groaned. "What's the point? When am I ever going to need to know trigonometry?"

"When you're taking your math final next week," I pointed out.

"Besides that."

I shrugged. "Doesn't matter. You need to know it."

Jake leaned down to place his lips on mine in a soft and delicate kiss that left me grinning from ear to ear like such a geek. He returned my smile and moved closer to kiss me again.

"I love you," he whispered, his face inches from mine.

"I love you, too. Now get back to work," I laughed.

He shook his head and his nose brushed against mine while his dark eyes bored into mine with such passion I forgot all about sine, cosine, and tangent.

Jake kissed me roughly this time, caught up in the moment, and I didn't care that this wasn't sweet and romantic. Without removing his lips from mine, he pulled me up so I was on my knees and eye level with him.

I was breathless when he removed his lips from mine and placed them on my neck, leaving wet kisses down my shoulder and back up to the curve in my neck.

I heard his cell phone ring from across the room, but he didn't stop. We both ignored it until it stopped ringing. Jake's hands began to travel all over my body, and I squealed when he suddenly used his weight against me and pinned me to the bed underneath him.

"You know Billy's home," I reminded him.

I could feel Jake nod against my skin, but he didn't stop. I guess there was a sense of adrenaline in the fact that he could walk in any moment and we would get busted. Not that I wanted my boyfriend's father to walk in on us in a heated expression of passion, but it added a sort of thrill to the experience, like when Jake spent the night at my house and my parents were none the wiser.

The house phone rang and Jake groaned, resting his head on me in exasperation. "Damn phone," he muttered under his breath.

"Jacob!" Billy called from the other room. "It's Sam!"

Jake sprung up off the bed in a hurry, leaving me missing the warmth of his body. "Crap! What time is it? Crap, crap, crap!"

"What's wrong?"

"I was supposed to do something with Sam a half hour ago. I totally forgot." I followed him to the front door. "I'm so sorry, Bella, but I have to go. I'll be back later. I love you." He pecked me on the lips quickly before taking off into the woods in nothing but cut off shorts.

I was disappointed that he had run off like that and I had no idea what he and Sam were doing. And that he had left me with Billy. Not that I hadn't spent time with his father; our families were extremely close and I had spent so much time at the Black's house growing up that it already was a second home to me, and Billy a second father. But Jake and I weren't dating then.

I ignored the initial hesitation and decided to make dinner for us. I searched through the fridge and cabinets, trying to come up with something I could make without running to the store. There wasn't much – a lot of chips and snacks, and nothing green in sight.

I found a box of pasta that I threw in boiling water and cleaned a package of chicken breast that was in the fridge. After searching some more, I found some cheese, and decided to make one of my favorite dishes that my mother's friend used to make whenever we went over there. I had made it many times before, when I was old enough to use the stove and old enough to realize that I was sick of pretending my mother's cooking was good.

I hummed to myself as I was cooking; imaging what it would be like to do this for Jake and me every day. The thought made me smile. I called Leah in the meantime.

"Hey, what's up Bella, how are you?" She asked.

"I'm good. Great actually. Making dinner." Leah laughed. "Oh, and Billy is going to let me stay here, so. . ."

"Billy's okay with you staying there? With Jake?"

"Apparently," I said.

"Wow. My dad would never let Sam stay over my house."

"I know."

So you're ditching me?" She teased. "It's okay."

"Sam's out with Jake?" I prodded, hoping Leah would have more information than what I got before Jake flew out the door.

"Yeah," Leah sighed. "More tribal stuff I think. I don't really know what's been going on, but Sam said it's important, and it involves the council and elders and everything."

"Huh." Both of us were quiet for a minute and I flipped the chicken over in the pan, browning it on the other side.

"So what happened with your parents?" Leah asked cautiously. I remembered that I promised to call them, and I didn't have any messages. But then again, they had already spoken to Billy, so they knew where I was.

I sighed. "They have been on my back so much lately. Trying to be involved in everything in my life, every detail, every second. And you know that they've never really been like that. But all of a sudden, I'm graduating and they're talking about decisions and growing up and maturing and bad influences and drinking," I rambled.

"Drinking?"

"Long story. But the fight we got into this afternoon was about Jake. You remember how we had that big fight when Edward brought me home?" I cringed just thinking about that night.

"Yeah, I remember. You're parents were pretty pissed at Jake."

"Very. And after that they just never forgot about it I guess. They think that by me hanging out on the res this summer, I'll forget all about school and loose my focus and stuff. My dad actually said I was forbidden to come down here."

"You're kidding," Leah insisted.

"No, that's the worst part, I'm not. I wish it was a joke. They said I couldn't see Jake anymore either. So I just left. I'm not under their roof anymore so I have no reason to listen to their craziness."

"Wow, Bella. I'm sorry, I didn't realize your parents would take things that far. They really are serious about you going to school and everything."

"Yeah," I sighed, tired of replaying the story in my head again and again. "I mean, they both have been pushing me my whole life to get a good education and make something of myself and all that. And, I know I always said how much I wanted to get out of Forks as soon as possible, and go to some big city somewhere and do my own thing, but I'm not so sure of that anymore. That was before I I fell in love with Jake and right now I just have other priorities. I'm not so worried about jumping on the first plane out of here just to go to school, you know?"

"So what are you going to do now?" Leah inquired.

"I don't know, Lee. I guess I'll stay down here for a few days. I'm sure my parents will come to their senses and realize they're being insane. And if they don't. . .then, I don't know. After that, I'll probably have to look for a job to save some money and stuff. 'Cause I am not going back there to ask for help."

"You really think it will come down to that, Bella? I mean, I'm sure this will all blow over by tomorrow."

"Maybe."

I finished dinner and set out a few plates when Billy wheeled himself into the room. I promised Leah I would call talk to her tomorrow, and made Billy a plate.

"Mmm, smells good, Bella. It sure is a treat to have someone who can cook in this house. I could get used to this." I laughed, passed Billy his dinner, and took a seat next to him. "You gonna eat?" He asked.

"Yeah. I think I'll wait for Jake, though."

"Sweet girl, but you might want to reconsider and eat before Jake gets here. He'll probably swallow his whole and then eat yours while he's at it. That Jake can eat, my boy," Billy said with a smile. It was nice to hear him talk about his son. There was overflowing evidence of the loving bond between the two, and how much they relied on each other.

Billy finished dinner, and although he advised me to eat now, I declined and said I was going to wait up for Jacob to get home. "Suit yourself," he laughed. "There's extra blankets in the closet if you need, and I apologize for Jake that his room is a mess."

I chuckled. "It's okay."

"Just make yourself at home and Jake will stay on the couch." It took me a moment to process the thought.

"Oh. Right." I felt myself blushing at my earlier assumptions. I should have guessed that even though Billy is cool enough to let me stay with them for a few days, he wouldn't be okay with me staying in the same bed as his son while I was here.

Billy smiled a knowing smile, and then left me alone in the living room as he got ready for bed. I washed Billy's plate and glass in the sink and completely dried them before replacing them in the proper cabinet. I gave the kitchen a quick cleaning, too – wiping down the counters and putting away a forgotten pile of clean silverware.

The food started to get cold when Jake still didn't show up, so I wrapped it up and slid it into an empty spot in the refrigerator. I pulled down a blanket from the closet that Billy showed me and set it at the end of Jake's bed. His room was a mess; instinct kicked in and I found myself picking up dirty clothes, putting his books all together, arranging the sheets neatly on the bed.

I yawned and realized that it was getting pretty late. Deciding to take a quick shower, I pulled sweatpants out of my impromptu suitcase and dug out one of Jake's tee shirts from his dresser drawer. I knew he wouldn't mind, and besides, his clothes were so much more comfortable than mine.

I slipped under the warm water and closed my eyes, letting my mind wander. Leah raised a good question: what now? I didn't have an exact plan, but then again – did I ever?

**A/N: Okayy, so there you have it. Part I. Reviews get a preview of CH 28...**


	28. Runaways

**A/N: We made it to ch 28! With 450 reviews. 450! 4-5-0. That's crazy... my jaw is still on the floor. I cannot say enough thank you's to those of you that have taken the time to comment and let me know what you think. And especially those who have been with me since the beginning. But we aren't close to the end yet - so keep the reviews comming! (Please?) **

**One quick note - I do not live in Washington or know anything about colleges in Washington. Let's remember that this is a work of fiction, so I made up what I didn't know as far as colleges and stuff. Work with me.**

**Okay, so this chapter picks up right where we left off.**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. Words in bold are from New Moon.**

CH 28 BPOV

When I packed my bags and pulled out of my parents' driveway, I hadn't exactly thought everything through. Granted, I knew I always had a place to stay down at the reservation, whether it be Jake's or the Clearwater's. And I had enough money saved to last me a while. I could get a job and work in Forks while Jake finished high school, maybe save enough money for us to buy our own place. I could take classes at night at a local school around here, and maybe take up a trade or just something simple.

When reality struck, however, I knew I couldn't avoid my parents forever. I knew I would end up going back there. We just needed some time apart, while I figured things out and my parents learned to compromise with me.

After dressing for bed I folded my clothes and set them next to my bag. The college envelopes that my mother had handed me earlier were sticking out from the outside pocket. I took a deep breath and decided now or never.

I ripped open each envelope and read them one by one.

We are delighted to inform you that. . .

We are happy to offer you admission to. . .

Congratulations on your admission. . .

I am very pleased to announce the acceptance of your application. . .

And only one : We regret to inform you. . .

It was too much to think about. I sat down on the edge of the bed, skimming through each acceptance letter, and disregarding the declined application. Three were to top notch schools in New York, one that I had visited during my time there.

One was an acceptance letter from Peninsula College, and the other from Olympic College, both of which were in Washington.

I was interrupted by the sound of footsteps outside and the front door opening. I heard Jake's voice and could tell that he wasn't alone. I glanced in the mirror to check if I was decent – most of the pack had seen me in pajamas before, so I didn't mind. After stuffing the letters back into their respective envelopes and burying them underneath some clothes in my duffel bag, I padded out of Jake's bedroom and into the kitchen.

I recognized Embry's tall and bulky form halfway in the fridge and laughed to myself. Poor Billy, it's no wonder that he never had any food – the pack always raided the Black's house.

"Hey," I said quietly, considering the late hour. Jake and Embry spun around to find me watching them.

Jake came over and kissed my forehead. "Sorry, baby, did we wake you up?"

"No, I wasn't asleep. I think Billy might be though."

Jake nodded. Embry popped his head back in the fridge again and came out holding the leftover chicken that I had made. "Jackpot!" He exclaimed.

Jake looked at me curiously. "I made dinner," I explained. "Billy already ate, but I wrapped some up for you."

"Awesome," Embry said, already unwrapping the plate of food. Jake stole it from his hands too quickly for him to react.

"She made it for me, dude, back off."

I laughed and took the plate from Jake, taking off the plastic and separating it on to two plates. Jake and Embry both groaned. "There's enough for both of you, you can share," I teased.

Minutes later both the boys were fork deep in my crusted chicken Romano, sending compliments and praise my way.

"Bella, this is amazing," Jake admitted.

"For sure," Embry agreed, stuffing another forkful in his mouth. Did I have to teach these boys manners, too? "Bella, I swear if you opened a restaurant, no one in Forks would ever cook anymore. You'd be rich."

"Thanks," I laughed. I had often thought of working at a restaurant; when I was younger and first started to cook, I wanted to learn every recipe I could get my hands on, and learn every technique I could. It eventually became too time consuming and I only cooked when I had to as of late. But cooking dinner for Billy and Jake had reminded me of how much I missed and loved it.

"There's an idea, Bells!" Jake declared. "What about culinary school?"

Culinary school? That was an option, I suppose. I did still have that love for the culinary arts like I used to have, and it would be a fun and interesting job. As I watched Embry and Jake scrape their plates clean, I also realized that I loved the satisfaction of making something from nothing, something that people could enjoy and something that could make others feel good.

"You would be great at culinary school, Bella. You'd be valedictorian, for sure," Embry said. I rolled my eyes.

"I don't know about that."

"I think that's a great idea, Bella. You should look into it," Jake continued.

"I think I will," I said with a satisfied smile on my face. Culinary school made sense – it was a subject I liked, something I could handle doing in the work force eventually. For the first time, I started to actually feel better about the prospect of college. I picked up both plates and washed them, ignoring protests from Jacob telling me I didn't have to.

"I want to," I said, nudging him out of the way. "See you later, Embry."

"Bye, Bella. It was really, really good. I mean seriously-"

"We get it Embry! Out," Jake instructed.

"Alright, alright. See you."

Jacob was quiet after Embry left. I finished washing the dishes and found him sitting on his bed looking pensive.

"What's up?" I asked. He looked up at me briefly.

"Long night." I sat down next to him on the bed.

"Why?"

"Just a lot of stuff going on with the tribe and Sam and everything. Remember I told you about the whole alpha thing?"

"Kind of," I replied.

"Well, I told you that since Sam was the first to phase, he automatically took that position as the pack's alpha, but technically it's my responsibility. And the pack, Sam and the elders especially, think that it's time for me to take on the role of alpha."

"Okay. . ." I followed the story, but I wasn't exactly sure why it was bothering Jake so much. "I think that's great, Jake. It's in your blood, it's what you were meant to be. Plus, you'd make a great alpha." He smiled wryly.

"Thanks, Bella, but it's not that simple. It's a ton of pressure and stress and responsibility. It means that the whole pack will be following my orders and instructions all the time, and I'd have to be involved in every meeting, every issue. I'd be accountable for Sam and Jared and Paul and Quil and Embry and Seth and any other person that joins that pack."

"There's going to be more guys transforming?" I asked. I had never really thought of that occurring; for some reason it just seemed that the six of them were the pack, and that was that.

Jake shrugged, and I saw him become more frustrated. "We don't know. There's so much that is new to us, so much that we haven't experimented with. We don't have all the answers yet. And I'd be in charge if anything went wrong, and I'd have to make all the decisions, even if it's based on knowledge that we don't have yet. And I have to think about you also."

"What do you mean?" How did I factor into Jake's decision to be alpha or not? Of course I would support him either way, and I hoped he knew that.

"If I take the position as alpha, **you can't imagine how tight I'm bound. . .I'm in this for life. A life sentence. Longer, maybe.**" He stopped, but I knew he had more to say. So I waited. "Bella, I love you, with all my heart. . ."

"I know that, Jake," I assured him, taking hold of his hand and placing it in my lap.

"I won't be able to leave these lands, the reservation. As long as I have a pack and as long as I'm alpha, I'll have to be here. That means if you want to move out of Washington someday, I can't go with you. I'm tied to this tribe for as long as I live. And I love you so much, and I know that all your life you've wanted to get out of this small town and make something of yourself and go to a big city somewhere, and I want that for you, I really do. I just can't do it with you. And I would never hold you back, Bella, I'd never ask you to stay here just so I could be selfish."

I let his words sink in, the reality behind it. I hadn't thought about what we would do if I was to move out of the state. I had dreamed of leaving; I'd never thought this town was good enough, even though I do love it to pieces. But that was the ambition of the past Bella. The Bella I was now had different priorities.

"What makes you think I would leave you, just like that? I'm in this with you Jake," I promised. He sighed and fell on his back onto the bed, causing it to shake. I pulled my knees to my chest and rested my chin on them. All of this was a lot to think about. "**What if we ran away? Just you and me. What if we left home, and left this behind?"**

"**It's not something I could run away from Bella**," he said, "although **I would run with you, if I could."**

"You can, Jake," I insisted. "We can." I saw I had gotten Jake's interest and he sat up again, watching me. I didn't even know what I was saying until it came out of my mouth. "Let's just go. Not permanently, we'll come back. What if we just take off, travel, enjoy our summer. No thinking about alpha, and responsibility, and choices, and college. . ." I trailed off. This idea was getting better and better. "We could just _be_."

"Um, Bella? What's up with you? This isn't like you."

"You won't be seventeen forever, Jake, we need to enjoy it! Think of how nice it will be for us to get away from all of this – just us."

"Bella, I hate to point this out. . .but I just might be seventeen forever," he chuckled lightly. Leave it to Jake to find something humorous after he was in such a serious mood. I had forgotten about the delayed aging process the pack was under – I usually buried it in the back of my mind.

"Are you even listening?" I asked, exasperated.

"Yes, Bella, I'm listening. And it sounds great, it sounds awesome and I'd love to, but I have loyalties to the pack. I can't just disappear and leave them hanging."

"What do they need you for?"

"Hey – I'm not completely useless. I'm a valuable member of the La Push Quiluete werewolves, I'll have you know."

"Jake, stop fooling around. I meant, what danger is there in Forks? Or in La Push? What danger do you need to protect your people from? Nothing will happen while you're gone. Nothing has happened since you've transformed, even."

"That is not true," he argued, "we had that whole issue with the Cullens when-"

"When they had a friend come visit them?" I countered. "She didn't harm anyone, she was passing by. . ." I hesitated when I remember that their 'friend' had sent James after me. I shuddered involuntarily. I guess that was an issue, but the pack hadn't even known about that, and I for sure wasn't going to tell them. It was taken care of, Alice assured me that I was safe, and I trusted her. So, really, there was no danger.

"Jake," I continued, "that wouldn't have been an issue if there wasn't such bad blood between you and Edward. Answer me honestly, Jake, has there been any reason that you have been absolutely needed, no questions asked, they couldn't handle it without you? Just for a few weeks, a month maybe, the summer. Could they take care of things for just the summer while you went away with me?"

Jake seemed to consider my idea. "I mean, if you look at it that way, I guess they could survive without me for a little while."

"Exactly. Oh, Jake, we're going to have so much fun this summer." I couldn't shake the smile from my face thinking of running away with Jake. "Just think of it like a bachelor party before you get married. One long trip and then we come back and you can claim your position as alpha."

"A bachelor party?" He smirked. "Is there going to be hot girls involved?" He teased.

I smiled seductively. "There might be one. . ."

"Perfect," he said before sealing the deal with a kiss.

**A/N: Aww, don't you just love Jake and Bella? Haha.. Okay, so what do you think? Good idea, bad idea? Hate it, love it? Let me know please with a review! It would mean the world to me. **

**Someone left a review early on and said that Bella should do something with culinary arts/restaurant; I loved the idea, so there you have it. Just makes a lot of sense. Do you agree? And, I also need ideas as to where they should go and what they should do and all that. So get typing!**


	29. The Graduate

**A/N: I am facing a serious case of writer's block. So I'm sorry for the delay in updating, but this chapter just took forever to get to, honestly, I'm kind of dreading the next few chapters because I have no idea whats going to happen! But your reviews from the last chap have given me some great ideas, so I'll just have to brainstorm some more.**

**Anyway, this is a filler chapter, not much going on, but nonetheless I'd like reviews pleease..**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

CH 29 BPOV

I was starting to get nervous. I was fidgeting with the tassel that was annoyingly swaying in my peripheral vision. And Jessica would not stop talking.

Our teachers began ushering us out onto the field in two lines, alphabetical order. I cast my eyes to the floor, praying that I wasn't about to trip and take down the rest of my classmates in the domino effect.

Graduation was finally happening.

We walked out in aisles and rows and found our seats where we had practiced this morning. Each of us proudly wore the hideous cap and gown bestowed upon us. Navy blue for the guys and a cream color for the girls.

I allowed myself a glance into the stands, and had trouble hiding my smirk. The pack from La Push practically took the entire front corner, hollering and waving their fists in the air. I instantly blushed, recognizing the faces that belonged to my best friends. And not to far from them were my parents, searching the students and trying to find me.

For some reason, the principal of the school took the biggest and possibly dumbest risk of holding the ceremony outside. Yet the rain was holding back, for now.

The speeches were long and went on and on, until finally they began calling names. And of course, I was at the end of the alphabet.

Yesterday was the La Push graduation ceremony. It was even smaller than this one. Leah, Sam and Paul all received diplomas and afterwards we celebrated bonfire style, of course.

I had been staying at Jake's for the past week. I hadn't spoken to my parents directly yet, but Billy let them know that I was safe, and I guess that's all they needed to hear. I passed all of my finals, and I made sure that Jake did, too. We planned to wait until all of our ends were tied as far as school went, before taking off for the summer.

And Jacob wanted me to talk to my parents. He said he didn't want to force me, but I would probably regret just leaving without talking to them first. He was probably right. Jake had spoken to Sam about our plans and made sure that Sam wouldn't throw a fit that Jake was leaving. He seemed to understand, although he wasn't a huge fan of the idea.

My row stood up, casting me out of my thoughts and into the present. I followed suit, walking in my place in line and moving up toward the makeshift stage. I held to the railing tightly to walk up the two small steps praying that I wouldn't trip.

My name was called and I did my thing, shaking the hand of some district supervisor or president or something. I had never met him before, but he handed my diploma and that was all that I needed to know.

I took a deep breath before facing the long, lonely walk that we were sentenced to before finding my seat again. I heard the pack erupt into cheers and applause and blushed furiously, but with a huge grin on my face.

And then it was over and we threw our caps up in the air and let go of high school. It was an image to look up and see the blue and white caps raining down on us, but true to form, one had to land right on my head. I rolled my eyes and picked up the offending cap. The families who had come to watch poured down onto the field and it became a mess of people trying to find their parents or brothers and sisters.

Jessica grabbed my wrist before I could look for anyone, and pulled me into a bunch of snapshots that Mike was taking of the girls: Angela, Jessica, and Lauren and I. Then Mike handed off the camera and he, Eric, Tyler and Ben squeezed in the photos.

"Congratulations, Bella!" Jake shouted as he swept me up into his arms, not minding at all that he interrupted our picture taking. He gave me a chaste kiss before I was passed around like a doll and hugged by everyone in the pack. Billy was with them, too.

I said goodbyes to my friends, most of whom were tearful. It wasn't hard for me to say goodbye, not that I didn't care about my friends, but because high school was finally over and done and I was ready to move on. Besides, Forks was a very small town – I would probably see all of them more than I cared to.

I caught a glimpse of my parents, standing idly off to the side, watching my exchanges with small smiles on their faces. I promised Jake I would meet up with him later, and walked to my parents.

Without saying anything, my mother pulled me into a tight embrace. "Congratulations, baby."

It was awkward when she let me go and I hugged my father, and all of us stood there unsure of what to do next.

"We're going to take you out to celebrate," my dad announced. I didn't argue, but peeled off the cumbersome gown and slid into the car. We went to my father's favorite little restaurant in town, along with almost all of the other graduates – it was packed.

"How've you been?" My mom asked, like I hadn't seen her in years.

"Fine. Billy said he spoke to you. I've been staying at their house."

"We know. You really care about Jacob, don't you?" My mother asked quietly. I was glad the babble of other customers was loud enough to prevent everyone from hearing my conversation. I nodded and my mother sighed.

"Bella, we just want you to understand where we're coming from. When you're young, the ideas and promises of a first love can cloud your mind, and we didn't want that to distract you from going to school and getting a great education, we still don't want that to happen."

"I know, and I appreciate that," I began. "But I can be in a relationship with Jacob and take school seriously. I still have goals and ambitions, but now Jake is a part of it. I know where you're coming from, but you also have to get where I'm coming from. I love Jacob, and he supports me in everything I want to do. He's not going to hold me back or persuade me to make the decision he thinks is right. You have to trust me. You both raised me," I concluded, "so let me stand on my own for a little, and trust that you've done a good job."

My father huffed, but I saw that my mother had tears in her eyes, and she wasn't bothering to reign her emotions in. I reached across the table to give her a hug.

"You have a good head on your shoulders, Bella. I do trust you. Are you going to come back home?" My mom inquired. I wasn't sure how I should tell them that I was taking off for the summer. I didn't want to push my luck with their understanding.

"I think I've made a decision about college," I stated, successfully distracting my parents for the time being. I saw my mother's face light up.

"What's that?" My dad asked.

"Culinary school."

"Really? Oh, sweetheart, that's a great idea! Which school?"

"I haven't actually decided yet," I admitted. "But I think I'm going to stay in Washington." I looked up to gauge my parents' reaction to my words.

"I thought you loved New York," my father protested.

"I did. It was amazing, and I had a great time, and the schools were perfect. But not perfect for me."

"You've always dreamed of going away to school," my mother reminded me.

"I know. I did. But I've changed, I guess. New York was great, but my priorities changed in the past year. I can get just as good of an education here in Washington."

"Cheaper, too," my father muttered.

"Charlie," my mother scolded, swatting him on the arm. She turned her attention back to me. "I'm sorry, Bella. I think culinary school in Washington is a great idea. Your father and I support you one hundred percent with whatever you want to do. We love you."

"Love you too." This conversation was going all too well. I guess it was time to tell them about my plans for the summer. "I'm going to move back in at home, and I'll commute to school. Peninsula College is only an hour away."

"Do you think your truck can do that commute every day, Bells? We might have to look into finding you a new car," my father said.

I ignored his comment, not wanting to think about letting go of my prized truck that had been with me since the days when I got my driving permit. "But I don't know exactly when I'll be moving back in."

"What do you mean?" My mother asked quizzically.

"Jake and I are going on somewhat of a road trip this summer."

Both of my parents were waiting for more information. I sighed. "We want to do something this summer before I start school."

"A road trip?" Charlie asked.

"I think it's a good idea, Bella. Where are you going?" My mother asked. My jaw hit the table, and I'm pretty sure my father's did, too.

"Renee?"

"What? Charlie, Bella is a responsible girl. I trust her, and besides, she needs to have some fun before school starts – it's going to be a lot of work."

Dinner with my parents ended up going pretty well, and I was pleased with the outcome. A little shocked, but pleased. I drove with them back to the house, where my mother slipped some money into my hand while my father turned on the game and called Billy. I was curious as to what those two had to say, and hoped Jake had told his father about our trip before Charlie did.

Jake picked me up later in the evening, and I hugged both of my parents goodbye and promised to call during our trip. And then I ran out before they could tell me they were just joking.

Jake and I joined the rest of the pack at the beach. I made everyone promise not to buy me anything for graduation, and most of them complied – but not Jacob, of course. He presented me with the most beautiful bracelet with a hand carved wooden charm in the shape of a wolf. It was truly beautiful.

The bonfire was fun, and exhausting. There were more people than just the usual pack, Kim and Claire attended, as well as other graduates from the La Push school that had graduated with Leah, Sam, and Paul.

Most of my night's entertainment was watching Quil actually turn down the newly graduated women who were slightly drunk and extremely obvious. I was glad Claire didn't overreact -over the past few days, we've all seen how love drunk Quil has gotten. If I wasn't so in love myself, I would think Quil was pretty pathetic.

Leah pulled me away from the bonfire and toward the water.

"What's up?" I asked.

"You're really going to do this?" She asked. I assumed she was referring to Jake's and my trip this summer.

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Well, you know about all the alpha stuff, and all the trouble I've had with school and everything. We just need to get away, at least for a little while."

"I'm happy for you, Bella. And I put in a good word for you and Jake. It was pretty hard, but I think I convinced Sam he can handle the pack without Jake for a while."

I laughed. "Thanks, Leah. What would I do without you?"

"Not very much, apparently."

"Hey, did you and Sam set a date?" I asked. I hadn't been able to have any girl time with Leah, between preparing for finals and graduation and dealing with my parents.

"September fifth."

"September of next year? Or the September coming up in three months?" I have to admit that I was surprised. September was not far away at all.

Leah chuckled. "This September."

"Is that enough time? "

She shrugged. "I was hoping to have my maid of honor with me this summer to do all the girly wedding planning stuff, but I guess I'll be doing it on my own," she teased.

"What's the rush, Lee?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're eighteen years old. Marriage is a big deal."

Leah paused and took a sip of her drink. "It is a big deal. But age has nothing to do with it. I'm going to be with Sam for the rest of my life, marriage isn't such a daunting thing."

"I guess."

"You'll see," Leah said with a smirk and a glint in her eye. Okay, now I'm worried.

**A/N: Does Leah know something that we don't? Review and let me know what you think! What's your opinion on Bella's interaction with her parents in this one? Are we happy about it? Unimpressed? Leave me some luvin' !**


	30. Oregon

**A/N: Another update in only two days! Aren't you proud? **

**I didn't get many reviews for the last chap :(, but I'm going to assume it's because it was a filler chapter and it wasn't very exciting. Good news is, I got over my writer's block and was able to write a few chapters. Thank you for all the ideas of J/B's trip.**

**A few things before I let you read on: 1) Just a reminder that this story is rated M. There is some J/B action at the end, so skip it if you don't like. It's not graphic, but it's there... 2) I am from NY/NJ and have never been anywhere near the west coast of the US. So all the information / detail I'm writing from this trip is from Google Earth and searching online. And some of it is totally made up. So please let this fiction be just that - fiction. And I apologize if there are inaccurate parts.**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. **

CH 30 BPOV

"I'm so glad you talked me into this." Jake was bouncing up and down in the passenger seat like a kid in a candy store with no limits, and I was trying to hold in my laughter so that I could concentrate on driving.

It wasn't working very well.

We had been on the road for about twenty minutes, driving down 101, and both of us were feeling the adrenaline rush that came from packing our things up and being on the road together; no plans and no adult supervision.

It was around noon; Jake had some issues with the pack to tie up, and I had to visit my parent's house to pick up a few important things that I would need for an extended period of time away from home. We had decided to take my truck; well, I had insisted we take my truck. Jake tried to talk me out of it a million times, but I just wasn't having it. There was room for everything we needed and it was comfortable.

"This will probably be the last hurrah you get out of your truck, Bells. I don't know how much more it can take," he had said.

"I guess it's a good thing my boyfriend is a great mechanic then, huh?"

He snorted. "That may be true, but I'm not a miracle worker."

Route 101 turned into 109 and soon we had the decision to continue going south or drive toward the east. We saw the signs indicating the upcoming exits and Jake pulled out his map.

"I say south," he stated.

I didn't really have much of an opinion, so I shrugged and headed south. I was just happy that there were no schedules, limits, rules, or boundaries, for once.

"So Sam and Leah set a date," Jake announced, turning down the radio.

"Yeah, she told me. September fifth. That's awfully soon, isn't it?"

"Why is it soon?" Jake asked. "What's the point in waiting a while if they know they're going to be together the whole time anyway?"

"I don't know. Do you think she's pregnant?"

Jake's eyes widened and he looked at me in shock. "You think so?"

"She hasn't said anything to me. I'm just guessing. I don't know why she wants to rush this wedding."

"Maybe because they're in love?" Jake suggested with a laugh.

"So? We're in love and you don't see us rushing to get married." The look on Jake's face made me bite my tongue and wish I could take those words back. "Not that I don't want to or anything. . ."

"I know Bells," Jake said, the smile returning to his face. "Let's stop for dinner, okay?" He pulled out his map again, looking at it strangely before turning it a few times. I raised an eyebrow.

"Upside down," he muttered.

We stopped at a cute diner and Jake paid for dinner. It was sweet, but unnecessary, since I had insisted I would fund this trip.

We made it to Portland, Oregon before nightfall, and Jake took over the driving. As hard as I tried not to, I fell asleep. Jake was still bouncing with energy and enthusiasm, so instead of stopping, he chose to drive through the night.

The next thing I knew, we were pulled over on the side of the highway and Jacob was shaking me awake. Disoriented, I tried to gain my balance as I sat up and surveyed my surroundings.

"Bella!" Jacob gasped and put his arms around me tightly.

"What's wrong? What happened?" I asked groggily.

"You must have been having a nightmare or something Bells. You were screaming so loud – you scared the shit out of me. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm alright." I thought back to try and remember if I had had any sort of dream, but I couldn't think of anything. Weird. I don't remember a thing, and I sure didn't hear myself screaming. I leaned my head back and looked out the windows to try and find a hotel for Jake and I.

"Where are we now?" I inquired, wondering how long I had been asleep for. It didn't seem like long – it felt like I had just closed my eyes for a few moments.

"Somewhere in the middle of Oregon," he answered.

We found a hotel in the city of Newport. Jake and I were both drawn toward the coast; I guess it was just homage to what we were used to. We booked a room and quickly brought up our bags. I was too tired and worn out to do anything, so I changed quickly and snuggled into the unfamiliar bed as best I could.

Sunshine streaming through the open curtains of the hotel room is what woke me the next morning. I pounced on Jake, waking him so that we could get our day started.

I called my mom while Jake was in the shower, and assured her that both Jake and I were fine. We grabbed a very late breakfast on the go at a deli and brought it to the beach. We sat there for a while, staring into the ocean, neither of us saying much.

Jake leaned back in the sand and threw an arm over his eyes to shield them from the sun. "I'm bored."

I laughed. "What do you want to do?" I would be lying if I said I was having the time of my life. Granted, it was nice to get away and not have to be responsible, but I wasn't sure what to do next.

Jacob and I walked around the touristy area of Newport and found an aquarium that kept us busy for a few hours. Security was watching us closely, and I'm pretty sure they almost kicked us out. But it wasn't my fault. Jake kept pushing toward the tanks when giant fish or sharks would swim by – I couldn't help it if I screamed really loud and both of us were overcome by fits of laughter.

It wasn't really working for us after a while, so we headed back to the hotel to gather our stuff. Both of us were eager to get back on the road.

We made it into California where the sun was blazing down on us. We stopped for dinner and found some information on attractions in the area.

Once back at the hotel, I showered and was finishing blowing out my hair while Jake sat on the vanity counter and made suggestions.

"Oh, Bells, we have to hit up the water park tomorrow. It's not far from here."

"Okay. That sounds fun. But I'm not going on anything crazy, Jake."

"Uh-huh," he mumbled.

"I'm serious!" I said, giggling and trying not to tangle my hairbrush in my damp hair.

"You're no fun," he teased.

"I am too," I argued.

Jake rolled his eyes. "Prove it."

I shut off the hairdryer, quickly setting it down by the sink and positioned myself between Jake's boxer clad thighs. I roughly fisted my hands in the short hair at the back of his neck and pulled him down to kiss me.

I kissed him hard and unashamed, determined to prove my point the only way I knew how to at the moment. Besides, he looked really sexy in nothing but boxers and I couldn't help it if I wanted to jump him.

He was frozen for a second, shocked by the spontaneity and force of my actions, but caught on soon enough. He moaned into my mouth and hopped down from the counter, pulling my body flush with his. The bulge beneath his shorts was proof that obviously he was enjoying this – thus I was winning and totally proving that I was fun.

I pulled away breathless and with a smug smirk on my face. "Told you."

"Actually," he began, cocking his head to the side like he was contemplating something, "I'm not entirely convinced." He looked back down at me with a challenging grin.

I growled at him playfully and placed my hands on his shoulders before hopping up and wrapping my legs around Jake's waist. Thankfully, he caught me, because I would have fallen flat on my ass if he didn't instinctually place his arms so that I wouldn't fall.

But true to Bella form, this move couldn't go flawlessly. Since Jake was pretty much backed up against the vanity, my legs couldn't complete their journey to lock around his waist, and ended up smacking into the cabinets and handles on them.

"Ow," I groaned and laughed at the same time.

"That's my Bella," Jake said. He was chuckling at me with his head turned toward the sky, laughing and rolling his eyes. I took the opportunity to latch my lips onto his exposed throat and neck and slick my tongue over the russet skin there.

I heard and felt Jake's moans of pleasure and accelerated heart rate as I sucked on his skin near his collarbone at the base of his neck. I did it long enough so that I knew it would leave a mark, and I smirked to myself knowing that Jake would probably see it tomorrow morning. Just another way he was mine and I was his.

He ran his hand through my still damp hair and pulled on the base of it gently so I would turn my attention back to his lips, which I did. His lips were warm and passionate as they danced over mine, eventually adding tongues to the choreography. There was something about it that was so sensual, and it caused me to moan and press my hips harder into his.

I briefly noticed we were moving and Jake set me down on the bed underneath him, pushing me up it further toward the headboard. He lavished my neck and chest with kisses while peeling off my shorts and tank top that were supposed to be pajamas.

"I want you so bad," he moaned above me. I removed the only article of clothing he had on, kissing him once more before using all the strength in my body to flip us over so I was straddling him. I pinned both of his arms to the bed above his head.

"Take it back," I insisted. He looked at me with confusion written all over his face. "You said I'm not fun. Take it back," I repeated.

Recognition passed over his eyes and then I saw another playful spark fill them. I was powerless as he flipped us over and soon had me pinned to the bed. "I said I still wasn't convinced," he teased. I writhed underneath his grasp, struggling to break my wrists free and not ruin my façade by laughing.

I stared him in the eyes and tried to make my voice as convincing as possible. "Well then, if you're not going to apologize and take it back, you can figure out a different activity for the evening, because you certainly will not be having me," I counted.

"Is that right?"

"Yup."

"But I really, really want you Bella," he moaned, moving himself over me and placing hot kisses along my neck and bare chest. I knew what he was trying to do- distract me and make me forget about my motive all along. I was determined not to let him win, but then he capture a nipple in his mouth and rolled his tongue around it and my hips bucked upwards into him involuntarily.

"Jake. . ."

I felt him shift between my legs as his hands caressed my stomach on their way lower.

"Jake," I said again, finding some willpower within me and stopping his hands, even thought it was the opposite of what my body wanted in this moment.

Jacob dropped his forehead against mine and growled in defeat. "Damn woman, you are going to be the death of me, I swear."

"Is there anything you want to say to me?" I asked playfully, regaining some sense of composure and control over the situation.

Jake huffed in mock annoyance. "Fine. I take it back. Isabella Swan, you are the most funnest person I have ever met in my whole life."

I giggled. "Most funnest?"

"Shut up," he growled again with a smile on his face before capturing me in his arms and making sure we both thoroughly enjoyed the night.

**A/N: And there you have it - some J/B luvin'. Anyway, this chap was a bit of a filler as well, because I had a hard time coming up with things for them to do. But stick with me - I promise there is some fun coming up, and definitely a lot of action.**

**Review and let me know - favorite part? Where do you think they are headed next? Any predictions? What was Bella's nightmare all about? Reviews get a sneak peak of the next chapter.**


	31. The Waterpark

**A/N: Thanks for reading ! Almost at 500 reviews thanks to you guys! And all the favorites/alerts are much appreciated! **

**Just a few reminders: This is a work of fiction, so if my research is inaccurate, please forgive me.**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight, I do not.**

CH 31 BPOV

"Bella, are you ready yet?" Jake called from the room of our hotel. I heard his whining through the bathroom door, where I was finishing getting dressed. I was glad I packed a bikini for this trip. It was one of the things I went back to my parents' house to grab that I hadn't originally had packed.

It was new; Renee had gotten it for me on one of her shopping excursions that I never got around to wearing. I wasn't much of a bikini kind of girl, but hell, I was in California now and I was going to use that to my advantage. It was a light purple color mixed with hues of gold, orange, and other purples. The top was tied with strings, but I was glad that the bottom wasn't, because knowing me it would for sure untie while I was on one of the rides.

I looked around for the pair of Daisy Duke denim shorts I was planning on slipping on, but I must have left them with my clothes in the bedroom. I opened the door to an exasperated Jacob sitting on the edge of the bed.

His eyes gazed appreciatively over my body- from the slick ponytail my hair was in down to my legs. He got up quickly and hugged me close to his body, which was hidden from my view by a white tee shirt and black swim trunks.

"Wanna prove to me how fun you are again?" He suggestively whispered.

I giggled and swatted him away. "Maybe later. We have a water park to get to."

"Jacob," I warned as he pouted. I knew if he continued making that face I would give in and we would never make it to Water Works Park.

"Fine, fine." We got directions from the manager at the front desk of the hotel in the lobby and decided to drive.

We arrived within six minutes but it took us ten to find a parking spot. "Wow, this place is packed," Jake observed.

"Do you want to try a different day?" I offered.

"Nah. It's like a hundred degrees; I can't wait to get in the water. Besides, how long are we going to stay in Redding?"

"However long we want to," I pointed out.

"True." Jake eased the truck into a parking spot and took my hand, leading me to the kiosk where we could buy tickets. The line looked long and daunting – I was exhausted just looking at it. We reached the end of the queue and Jake leaned against the railing and held me against his chest with my back to him. I squinted my eyes and surveyed the line.

I figured if we got an early start we could beat the crowds but it was obvious that wasn't going to work. It was already ten o' clock, and we still had to get tickets.

"Ugh. This is going to take forever," I whined.

"It was your idea," Jake said.

"What? It was not. It was totally your idea!"

"Yeah, yesterday. But I told you this morning that I wouldn't mind just staying in bed with you all day," he smiled, kissing me by my ear.

I blushed and swatted him away, realizing that the girl in front of us was sweetly smiling in our direction. She probably heard everything we were saying. That was embarrassing. "Sorry," I mumbled in her direction.

"Don't be," she smiled. "But I can assure you that it's worth the wait."

The girl in front of us looked young, and she had striking wavy brown hair that fell to her waist. Her eyes were hidden behind big, dark sunglasses, but her smile was sweet and welcoming. She was petite and tiny, a little shorter than me.

She was wearing a sheer white dress that covered a fire red halter bikini and boy short bottoms.

"Have you been here before?" Jacob asked, continuing the conversation while I appraised our fellow park dwellers. Next to the girl was a tall, fair skinned Australian guy with thick light brown hair that was messy and off to the side above deep brown eyes.

I turned my attention back to the girl who began talking.

"Yeah, a bunch of times. We're from Sacramento. What about you?" She asked.

"First –timers," Jake responded. "We're from Washington State." I could tell Jake's answer surprised her and piqued the interest of the guy she was with.

"That's quite a trip," he commented.

"All the way from Washington for a water park?" The girl asked, moving ahead a few steps on line as it moved. "I may have to void my previous statement. It's worth the wait in line," she laughed, "but I'm not sure if it's worth the drive from Washington."

"We're taking a road trip for the summer. We were up in Redding and when we saw the advertisement, and here we are," I explained.

"A road trip? That sounds so fun!" Jake and I gave each other a knowing smile. "What places have you been so far?"

"Just down from Washington, we stayed in Newport, Oregon for a night and came to Redding yesterday." I tried to play up our trip as best as possible; it must sound boring – we hadn't visited any sights pretty much until today.

"Welcome to California."

"Thanks," Jake said and slung his arm around me. We moved up a few places in line – it was moving faster since I had stopped paying attention. "I'm Jake, and this is my girlfriend Bella." It sounded so adorable coming from Jake's lips.

"Bree," responded the girl. She placed on arm on the boy beside her. "And this is my cousin Riley. We were supposed to meet up with some other people but they bailed on us last minute."

We made some more small talk while waiting to get to the ticket booth, which didn't take as long as I had originally expected. I learned that Bree is seventeen, and Riley is nineteen. They both seemed very fun and had a good sense of humor, which meshed well with Jacob and I.

They reached the booth before us, and I assumed that meant we would both end up traveling around the park and going our separate ways. Instead, after we bought tickets and were wearing the proof around our wrist in bright blue bracelets, we found Bree and Riley waiting for us at the entrance of the park.

They knew their way around, and Jake and I enjoyed the company, so they led us to their favorite rides. I have to admit that I was intimidated right away. The first ride we joined the line for was the Cyclone, I was told, and it looked like a long tube slide leading to a giant striped funnel. Jake and I got a double tube like Riley and Bree did.

"See ya on the other side!" Bree giggled as she situated herself in a green tube with her cousin. The employee overseeing the ride gave them a quick push and they were gone into the dark tube. I made the mistake of looking over the edge of the railing while we were climbing up here, and it was high.

"Did I ever mention I was scared of heights?" I said to Jake, who just chuckled.

"Come on. I'll be right behind you," he assured me. He was holding the tube in place and I climbed in, feeling for the first time the temperature of the water. It was cold. Great.

I felt the tube move as Jake wedged himself in the spot behind me and then was feeling the wind rush in my face as we slid down the circular closed tube. I definitely screamed and heard Jake hollering behind me.

It was bright again as we were cast out into the sunlight and sailed across the water in a circular motion, like we had just been poured down a funnel. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it.

Bree and Riley were smiling widely when we reached the end and picked ourselves up. I noticed Bree now was only clad in her bathing suit, and quickly realized why. My shorts had a huge wet spot covering most of the back. I couldn't proudly wear them around, so I slipped them off. I turned around to see Jake's eyes darken and follow my actions.

Boys, I thought, rolling my eyes. "What's next?" I asked. Bree squealed and clapped her hands, glad that I had overcome my fears and enjoyed the last ride -which meant she could lead me to even crazier death traps, apparently.

All of us fit in one tube in the raging river, and we had so much fun that we rode that twice. I was laughing the whole time because Jake went over every drop backwards since he was the heaviest of all of us, and got thoroughly soaked. After much persuading – okay I'll admit it wasn't that much – we tried the avalanche and a bunch of different water slides.

It was early afternoon by the time we had covered most of the rides, and all of us were famished so we found the food stands and claimed a table. Bree and I laid out our clothes in the sun to accelerate their drying, and Riley and Jacob got the same idea, because both of them peeled off their clingy wet shirts and laid them next to ours before going to grab us some food.

Of course I admired Jake's chest when it was no longer suffocated by his shirt. I saw the dark spot by his neck where I had been last night, which was clearly a hickey. I gigged to myself and Bree noticed.

"He is a fine specimen of the male species, I have to agree," she teased, making my blush. "How long have you been together?"

I knew the exact date that Jake had asked me to be his girlfriend, and I thought back to the events of that day. "Almost a year," I told her. "But I knew him all my life, so it feels like longer. We grew up together."

"Aw, sweet."

"Do you, um. . .have a boyfriend?" I asked, feeling unsure if that was even an appropriate question to ask of someone I just met a few hours ago.

She shook her head, but kept the smile on her face. "Nah, I'm single. I was about to be exclusive with this guy Diego, but he went AWOL right before things started getting serious."

How was I supposed to respond to that? She didn't seem to mind me asking at all, but I still regretted it; I felt like I was prying.

"What are you doing for the summer?" I asked, changing the subject. "Besides visiting water parks, of course."

Bree shrugged and gathered her long hair in her hand to sling it over one shoulder. "Nothing really. I wish I was on a road trip like you and Jake. I start working again next week, so I'll be doing that all summer, most likely."

She told me about her job as a waitress at this old restaurant in Sacramento, and I promised to visit if I was ever in California again. Jake and Riley came back with our food during our conversation, and we dug in to lunch.

We lounged in one of the pools for a bit and decided to head out in the late afternoon. It was disappointing that we were going to have to say goodbye to Bree and Riley; our day with them had been a lot of fun, and I felt like we had known each a lot longer than just a day.

As we walked back to our cars I saw Bree whisper something to Riley and then run over to me.

"Hey, do you guys want to get dinner with us and go out tonight?" She asked. Jake and I both seemed to agree that we liked Bree and Riley and wanted to spend more time with them. Apparently, Riley and Jacob had clicked as well as Bree and I had.

We agreed, and Bree wrote the address and her number on the back of my hand. It kind of bugged me a little bit; I hated getting ink on my hands and my mother always used to tell me I was going to get ink poisoning or something. But Bree seemed carefree and spontaneous, which I admired, so I ignored it.

Jake and I showered together back at our hotel, which quickly turned into something more, so of course we were running late. I changed into a pair of jeans and cute top; I didn't bring anything fancier along with me for the trip, unfortunately. Bree had offered to let me borrow some of her clothes when we got to her place, but I was adamant that her size negative zero clothes would not fit me.

Jake was a bit luckier than I was, he had a pair of nice shorts and a polo. He ran his fingers through his hair a few times and he was done, and once again waiting for me to finish. I quickly dried my hair and put half of it up while I let the rest lay on my shoulders. Since we were running so behind I did my makeup in the car while Jake checked out of the hotel. We threw our few bags into my truck and drove south to Sacramento.

It was about two hours to get there, so we arrived at eight. Bree dressed me in a long stretchy black tunic that clung to what curves I had and tight black leggings. I could tell Jake wanted to thank Bree profusely for putting me in that, and yeah, I'll admit I looked good.

Bree's attitude must have been rubbing off on me. I felt more at east and outgoing than I usually did, but I was happy about it. After all, how often was I going to take off on an unscheduled road trip with my boyfriend? Probably not often, I can tell you that.

**A/N: So Bree and Riley, huh? Okay so sorry if that confused anyone, but in this fic they are both human. I was just too lazy to come up with names so I borrowed Meyer's. I know this chapter wasn't all that exciting, but drama is coming people, I promise! Review for a preview of the next chapter! Favorite part/line? **

**Coming up next: a night out with Bree and Riley; Bella loses something from her luggage; a phone call from Leah; and an angry Jacob. Hmmm, any predictions? Suggestions welcome! I'll be waiting for your reviews !**


	32. Uneasy

**A/N: Next chapter. Thanks for the wonderful reviews / alerts / favorites and support!**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. **

CH 32 BPOV

"You're joking, right?" Bree asked incredulously. "You've never been to a club?"

"Only a few when I was in New York," I admitted. Dinner with Bree and Riley had been a lot of fun, but now they had talked Jake and I into joining them at a club with some of their friends: Victoria, who I could tell Riley was pining for, and this guy Freddie, who was shy but I was pretty sure something was going on between him and Bree.

Riley was buddies with a few of the bartenders, so he got us all in no problem. Jake and I were both trying our best to adjust as I looked around and saw it was what I had expected. It wasn't much different from New York: it was crowded and dark, except for the neon lights that beamed down on the dance floor every few minutes.

We all got drinks, although I decided to go easy on the alcohol tonight. I wasn't worried about Jacob – I knew he couldn't easily get drunk.

Bree dragged me to the dance floor, despite my protest. I felt like I was back in New York with Emily again; Bree kept snapping pictures and trying to get me to actually dance and not just move back and forth.

"Use your hips, girl!" She laughed, placing two hands on my waist and moving them side to side. "Watch," she said, demonstrating what she wanted me to do.

If it was possible, the music got louder and the lights began to flash and move around the floor. A song came on that I recognized and I heard the crowd began shouting in appreciation.

"There you go, she's got it, she's got it," Bree laughed. "Let's go find the guys," she said. I found Jake at the bar, his eyes roving the crowd. He didn't notice me come up next to him. I leaned up against the bar, looking as seductive as possible.

"Come here often?" I flipped my hair back and looked in Jake's direction. He snapped his head to look at me and chuckled.

"You're such a dork, Bells," he teased.

I grabbed his hand and tried to yank him up out of the stool. "Come dance with me." Jake and I danced for a bit and I got to show off my dancing. At one point, I spun around so my back was to Jacob and slinked my arms around his neck.

Something in the crowd caught my eye. Suddenly, that odd sensation where you feel like someone is watching you came over me, causing me to freeze.

Jake nuzzled his face by my ear. "What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing," I lied, forcing myself to continue moving while my eyes scanned everyone around me for anything suspicious. Can't I go to a club without someone stalking me?

I kept my guard up all night, even though I trusted that Jake would notice if something was wrong. I didn't spot anything else out of the ordinary for the rest of the night, so I tried to forget about it and enjoy myself.

Bree told us they were getting ready to leave about an hour later, and I was shocked when she told us what time it was. Jake and I decided to leave and find a hotel, so he grabbed my hand and led me through the throngs of people to the exit of the club.

I could have sworn I recognized a pale face in the crowd, and those deep enticing eyes that I had seen many times before. I tugged against Jake's hold on my hand and spun around to get another glimpse of the face that was tugging at my memory.

But when I turned around there was nothing there except normal people enjoying themselves on a night out. It was as if nothing unusual had been there in the first place; the person had disappeared. A shiver ran up my spine and Jake pulled me closer to him and wrapped an arm around me.

"I had so much fun, Bella. I'm glad we ran into you guys today," Bree said in way of goodbye. "Promise that you'll email and hit us up next time you're in Cali."

"Of course," I promised, hugging her tightly before waving to Riley and hopping in the car with Jake.

We drove out of Sacramento and found a hotel not too far away. Jake hauled our bags to our room while I paid the front desk woman in the empty lobby. I ran up to the room as quickly as I could; I couldn't get rid of the shaking feeling that something was going on, and someone was here that didn't want me to know.

James? I thought, but it couldn't be. Jasper had taken care of things when we were in New York, and Alice promised I was safe. She wouldn't lie to me, would she? I wondered if I had her number somewhere, maybe I could give her a call and find out if anything was going on. She assured me she was looking out for me; I hoped there wasn't something she didn't tell me.

Jake and I fell into bed as soon as we were changed. Both of us were quite worn out from the day's events. Being in the sun during our time at the water park took its toll on us, and neither of us was used to staying up dancing until the wee hours of the morning.

That's probably why we both overslept the next day. There were no parents to chastise us, however, and no plans that we messed up or ruined by oversleeping. That was the whole point of the trip. We could do whatever we wanted and there would be no repercussions. Not yet, anyway.

I woke up and rolled out of bed to find the cell phone that had been ringing non-stop for ten minutes. I was hoping whoever it was would just leave a message, but obviously that wasn't going to be the case. Jake was still snoring softly beside me, so I slipped out of bed and dug through my bad to find the offending cell phone.

I noticed there were three missed calls from Leah so I started to dial her number. Before I could call her back she was already calling me a fourth time.

"Hi Leah."

"Bella! What's up? How is your trip?" She asked.

"It was fine. Until you woke me up, thank you very much," I answered sarcastically.

"I woke you up? Bella, you do realize it's after noon, right?" Leah laughed.

"No, I hadn't," I sighed. "We should probably get going anyway." I walked over to Jake and lightly shook his arm. "Wake up, Jake," I said before turning my attention back to Leah. "Sorry, we got in late last night, so we're both pretty tired."

"And what were you doing, girl?" Leah giggled.

"We met some people and went out to a club in Sacramento last night."

"A club? How did you get Jake into a club?"

I sighed. "Does Jake look seventeen, Leah?"

"Well, no," she admitted.

"Exactly."

"How was it?" She asked. I heard Jake begin to stir on the bed behind me. I was sitting on the edge and he wrapped his arms around my waist. Well, at least he was awake.

"It was fun. I'll show you pictures when we get home."

"Oh, right. I actually needed to talk to you about something," she said, catching my interest.

"What happened?" Jake perked up beside me, tuning into the conversation and catching on the worried tone of my voice.

"You had a visitor at your house the other day. Your parents told Billy and Billy told my dad. And I was eavesdropping, of course."

"A visitor? What are you talking about Leah?" Jake pressed his ear to the outside of the phone trying to listen to the conversation as well.

"Um, yeah, so Edward Cullen apparently wanted to see what you were up to yesterday." I heard Jake growl beside me and he stood up, beginning to pace the room.

"Edward? What did he want?"

"I don't know," Leah said. "Your Dad said he just asked for you and Charlie told him that you went away with Jacob. He didn't say what he wanted."

"That's weird."

"Right? You would think the guy could take a hint that you're not interested." Jacob's body started to shake in front of me, and I knew that it was a sign he was extremely pissed off, and was about to phase any minute if he didn't calm down. I didn't need him to burst into wolf form while we were in the hotel room.

"Thanks, Lee. Keep me updated if anything else weird happens, ok? I'll call you soon." I hung up before I heard her say goodbye and rushed over to Jake, putting my hands and both of his shoulders.

"Jacob, calm down. Everything's okay. Just relax. You can't phase in the middle of a hotel room."

"He was at your house!" He growled through his teeth. "Who the hell does he think he is, going to _my _girl's house and-"

"Jacob Black. Stop this right now! Nothing happened, and I'm right here in freaking California with _you_, aren't I? You know damn well that I don't have any interest in Edward, so stop this high school jealousy crap!" I shouted.

I saw Jake visibly inhale deeply and calm down. He forcibly pulled me to his chest, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my forehead. "I'm sorry. Just the thought gets me all riled up. And I want to know what he wanted."

"It was probably innocent, Jake. I wouldn't worry about it," I lied. I would definitely worry about it. I felt someone watching me last night and could have sworn that I saw a vampire. And knowing the history with Edward and Tayna and James, worrying was probably the best thing to do right now. And it was probably smart to tell Jacob what had occurred and explain to him what I knew, but of course I didn't. I wasn't going to ruin the rest of this trip – we had only been gone a few days, and I had planned to travel the whole summer.

Jake snatched the cell phone from me and punched in a number. "What are you doing?" I asked.

He held up a finger indicating I should be quiet for a minute. "Sam?" I heard him say. "Yeah. What's going on? Fine, fine. Have you had any trouble with the leeches while I've been gone? No, nothing. Leah told us that Edward went to Bella's house yesterday, and I can't think of any damn reason he should be anywhere near them. Exactly. Have Quil and Embry run patrols around her house, okay? Call me the second you need me, alright Sam?"

Jake snapped the phone shut and fell on the bed, sighing. I laid down next to him, my head on his chest, to try and ease the situation. I really didn't want this to ruin our trip.

"It'll be fine, Jake."

"I know," he said. "I just can't think of any reason he would be by your house."

"Me either," I said shakily before getting up from the bed. "What do you want to do today?" I asked. "I have this brochure for one of the national parks in California. There's one not too far away, Yosemite, I think."

"Sounds good." We got dressed and packed up the truck one again to continue our journey. I put my purse up front with me, and shuffled through it to make sure I had what I needed. I saw my birth control pills and realized since we got such a late start today that I had forgotten to take it. I popped the last one out and took it before I could forget.

"I'll be right there," I called to Jake who was already in the passenger's seat. "I left something in one of my bags." I dug through the bags and searched for the refill that I brought with me. I remembered realizing that I would run out in a few days, so I had brought a second month's supply with me.

I tried to think back if I had actually remembered to pack it, though, because it was nowhere to be found. My searching began to grow more frantic when I couldn't find it.

Jake came around to the back of the truck. "What's wrong Bells?"

"I, uh, can't find something. I don't remember if I brought it with me or not," I told him.

"What is it?"

"Um," I blushed. Why was it that I could be as close to this man in every way humanly possible, yet mentioning birth control made my blush like I had just met him? "My birth control pills."

"Oh."

"Yeah, exactly. I looked through everything, I must have left the refill at my house or something. They're not here," I said, defeated. I zipped up my bags and threw them back into the seat, ready to slam the door.

"Wait," Jake said, leaning in and finding his bag. He hopped out of the back seat and handed me something. "I had them just in case, and I guess it's good that I brought them, huh?" Jake said, smirking at me.

"Where did you get condoms Jake?" I asked. I wasn't upset he had them, but I was kind of irked that I didn't even know. I wonder why he felt the need to buy a box of these when he knew I was on the pill. Insecurites bubbled up and were threatening to surface.

"Um, the store," he laughed, taking them out of my hands and putting them back into one of the bags.

"Oh, right." I stood there awkwardly.

"Come on, baby. We're burning daylight."

Yosemite National Park was absolutely beautiful, and the natural scenery was like nothing I had ever seen before. Jake and I decided to join up with a group for a tour, and it took us on a tram throughout different areas of the park. It was enough to ease my mind a little, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

**A/N: There you have it. Favorite part? Any ideas for future events / places to visit? Leave it for me in a review! **

**Who was at the club? Was someone actually there or was it Bella's imagination? And what did Edward want from Bella?**

**Coming up: Bella and Jake camp out in the park; Bella has a nightmare; Jake finally shows Bella his wolf up close; and...something else. Haha, cruel I know, but you'll have to read and find out!**


	33. The Nightmare

**A/N: Chapter 33 is up! Thank you for the reviews from the last chapter as well as favorites and alerts of course. I also love the predictions, and the suggestions, which I am trying to work in as best I can with the storyline. A few things to clear up before I can let you move on:**

**A lot of you mentioned James in your reivews. I just want to remind you that Alice assured Bella she was safe and Jasper 'took care of the situation'. So thats kind of a hint. Interpret it as you will, but that's all I can say for right now. **

**As far as if there was a vampire in the club, and if there was, why didn't Jake notice? Let's just say there was a little bit of a momentary glitch in his wolfy senses. He was at a crowded club with his girlfriend dancing all up on him so he wasn't exactly one hundred percent alert. If you don't buy it- I can't help you, but it's my story and that's what happened.**

**Also, (I'm sorry this AN is so long, it's almost over, I promise) I'm not very confident in writing action scenes. This is supposed to have some action in it and I don't think I captured it well at all. Sorry about that. Any pointers that will better my writing are encouraged and welcomed ! Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight. I own...well, not much at the moment.**

CH 33 BPOV

"But what if there are bears or something?"

"Bella," Jake laughed and pointed at himself. "Giant werewolf right here."

"Bears are big, Jake."

"What are you trying to say? You think I can't handle it?"

"Jake…" I whined.

"You need to relax Bells, come on." When the tour of the park ended, it was dusk, and Jake and I found out that some of the people on the tour with us were planning on camping out in the park. Since Jake is all of a sudden Mr. Nature Boy, he agreed and arranged for us to camp. And camping was so not my thing.

I couldn't imagine Jake fighting with a bear. Well, I didn't want to picture him fighting with anything, honestly. Just the thought of something going after him with speed and strength made my blood run cold.

We sat around a fire in the evening with other campers. Jake seemed to thoroughly enjoy the company of the others. During the tour, we had visited the museum located in the park, which traces back the heritage of Native people who used to live on this land. The history was somewhat lost on me, but Jake was happy to learn all about it.

And his looks obviously showed that he was of Native American descent, and the other interested campers pelted him with questions about where he was from, and historical questions that I left up to him to answer.

It was nice to lay back and watch him tell some of the legends of his people, with a twinkle in his eyes that I saw when he talked about his ancestry and legends. It was clear he was very proud of who he was and where he came from, and I admired that. Apparently, so did everyone else, because they hogged him long into the night, until I began to fall asleep on his shoulder and he excused us to retire for the night.

Our tent was small, but big enough to fit the two of us and our bags. It zipped up in the front, which served as the door. Jacob was closing up the tent as I snuggled into the sleeping bag.

"I hope it doesn't get chilly at night here or anything," I said. Jacob looked at me and rolled his eyes.

"I can take care of that, you know. I'm hot."

"Well isn't someone full of themselves," I teased as Jake slipped into the sleeping bag.

"No, but someone's gonna be full of me tonight."

"Jacob Black!" I laughed and swatted him away playfully. "I've never heard you speak like that before. What would your father say?" I teased. Jake's expression turned pensive as he pretended to think.

"Billy? He'd probably be proud of me," he laughed heartily, then kissed me softly on the lips before I could respond. His kiss was sweet and gentle, as he maneuvered himself over me in the sleeping bag.

I was conscious of the other campers only a few feet away in their own tents, who could hear any little sound. I muffled my whimpers and moans of sweet torture into his shoulders as he brought my body to right to the edge before stopping.

Jake shuffled around in his bags and returned with a small square package. I was glad he remembered the birth control situation, because I sure didn't, and I wasn't exactly in a clear state of mind at the moment.

Jacob and I always fit together perfectly, and even with something separating us, I felt so connected with him. I held my arms around him and pressed my lips to his skin as he made quick movements above me. I know his body as well as I know my own- what his moans of pleasure sound like, the way his body reacts right before his release.

Being curled up with Jake with my mind in a post-coital induced haze usually always leads to a wonderful night's rest. But tonight, it didn't.

I was somewhere I recognized, but couldn't get a clear picture of. All I could gather was that eerie feeling come over me again; the one where I feel like someone is lurking unseen around me, watching me. And suddenly, out of nowhere, a stunning and slender woman is stalking towards me with a wicked smirk on her face. Instinct tells me to run and run fast, yet I am frozen in place and my legs won't move.

The pale face comes into view and although I don't know who it is, I know she is a vampire. Her eyes are dark and intoxicating, and I can't look away, although I struggle with every muscle in my body to do the opposite.

She steps even closer and whispers something I don't understand. She walked closer and closer as I remained stuck in one place, until her face was inches away from mine. She bent her neck and placed her lips on my neck as if engaged in a sensual expression of passion; just before I feel her teeth break the skin and a searing pain shoot through my body.

I woke up with a start, snapping my eyes open. I felt my chest heaving in and out to facilitate my heavy breathing, and my body slicked with sweat. This was the same nightmare I had been having a few nights ago, the time I couldn't remember it, I realized.

"Just a dream, just a dream," I chanted to myself. It had felt so real, like in that moment I was there and was feeling everything from the fear to the confusion to the pain. My memory came flooding back to me and I remembered I was in the park, in a tent and camping with Jacob. In a sleeping bag.

I sprung up on my elbows when I realized the sleeping bag was completely wrapped up around me; I was the only one occupying it. Where was Jake?

I began to frantically search for a note and check if any messages were left on my cell phone. I found all of Jake's belongings where they had been the night before, but no Jake. Had something bad happened to him?

I slipped on sweatpants and an oversized tee shirt and unzipped the opening to the tent. I involuntarily sucked in a breath in fear of what I would see on the other side. I peered through the opening I had created, but saw nothing. It was still dark, but I could tell it would be light soon. It must be just before dawn.

"Jake?" I whispered loudly, in a false attempt that he would hear me. I shuddered and wrapped my arms around myself before following the trail that led away from camp, the one I remembered leading to where my truck was parked. Maybe he needed something from one of the bags we had left there.

I called his name repeatedly as I hurried down the dirt path, regretting that I had forgotten to slip on a pair of shoes. The scenery became more and more unfamiliar as I continued, and didn't look like there was a parking lot anywhere around here. The land was vast and open, and I suddenly felt very small and vulnerable.

I spun around calling Jake's name one final time before breaking off in a sprint back in the direction I had come. I heard footsteps behind me and pushed myself even harder to move faster. Something was right behind me and I was too scared to turn around and face whatever it was. It was James – he was after me again, and this time I was alone and unprotected. Adrenaline shot through my body and I built myself up, convincing myself that I wouldn't go down without a fight. I would be strong.

"Bella!" He shouted from behind me. This was it. "Bella, wait up! Are you out of your damn mind?"

My brain stopped functioning as I skid to a stop and spun around. "Jacob? Ohmygod, Jake," I breathed and flung myself into his arms. I clung to him with every ounce of strength I had in my body. I felt a sob racket through my body and I pressed my face into Jake's bare chest. He was wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked.

"I. . .had a nightmare and I woke up and you weren't there and I came to look for you but I couldn't find you and. . .and . . ." I was baffled by my emotions. I guess the dream had hit me harder than I thought.

"It's okay baby, it was just a dream," he assured me while holder me tighter to him. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up. I wanted to go for a run; I haven't been since we left for this trip. The wolf wanted to come out and stretch its legs for a little bit." He smiled.

I blushed in embarrassment. My needy emotions and ridiculous fear steming from an odd dream had led me to interrupt Jake's intimate and private time that he craved for himself. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I should have stayed with you."

"It's okay," I whispered.

"Hey, do you want a ride back to camp?" Jake asked. A ride? I looked up at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Jake looked at me affectionately and pushed my hair back from my forehead. "I mean it'll be a lot faster if I phase and get us back to the campgrounds." I was excited to hear him say that. There were only a few times Jake had let me see his wolf, and each of them were from a distance. He was always claiming that it was dangerous, or that I would be afraid, so I took advantage of his offer.

He slipped off his shorts and tied them to his ankle while I tried not to stare, and then I watched in amazements and his body seemed to rip and his wolf burst out in front of me.

It was a stunning sight to see and all I seemed to be able to do was stare. Jake was being still, most likely apprehensive since I had never seen him up close like this before. His eyes were dark and careful, and although his wolf form was intimidating, I knew it was my Jake there.

He slowly moved toward me and got on his stomach and I got on his back. It felt a little awkward at first, like I was riding a horse or something. But the speed was incredible. I couldn't keep my eyes open because the scenery kept passing by so fast that it was blurring my vision. I grabbed fistfuls of Jake's fur and squeezed my legs around his body to anchor myself.

I had walked further than I thought, unless Jacob was taking a detour, which he probably was, even though I couldn't enjoy the tour because my eyes were tightly shut the entire time.

Suddenly his whole body stiffened, and I tensed up automatically, opening my eyes and looking around. I didn't see anything. He came to a halt faster than I could keep up with, and I almost went flying off in front of him; I would have if I wasn't holding him so tightly.

I noticed Jake was very alert, and his ears were perked up and a growl erupted from his chest that made me shudder. He moved like he was facing off with a predator, as if there was an enemy in front of him that I wasn't seeing. I was frantically searching for the cause of his reaction, but I could not see a thing. Or hear a thing. Pathetic human senses.

"Jake?" I whispered, hoping to get some sort of explanation out of him. Nothing. "Jacob?" Still nothing.

Without warning, he took off running full speed again. We could have been running in circles for all I knew. I was for sure going to be sick after this – the kind of sick that wasn't going to end prettily.

**A/N: Review! I'm sure the ending of this chapter left you with some sort of reaction similar to: Huh? But stick with me, the pieces will all come together pretty soon.**

**Coming up: What the hell just happened? **


	34. Nevada

**A/N: Update! Thank you for the reviews, I love reading your reactions to this story, especially when you say such nice and encouraging things :) This chap may be a bit OOC, and not what you were expecting. Kind of anti-climatic. But that doesn't mean a climax isn't coming! **

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and its characters. I own an iPod that has decided to stop cooperating.**

CH 34 BPOV

"Just relax Bella, take deep breaths," Jake instructed.

In the passenger seat of my Chevy, I complied and bent over, willing the wave of nausea to pass, and pass quickly. I struggled to regain my sense, because Jake owed me an explanation.

He had ran back to camp faster than I'd like to think about - since that speed caused said nausea, phased, and then threw all our bags in the truck, got me inside it, and took off down the nearest highway. All without saying a word until now.

"What happened?" I asked, looking up at him when I had somewhat control over my body.

"Vampire," he spat. The venom and hatred in his voice was clearly evident, as was the loud and now pounding beat of my heart against my chest.

"How do you know?"

"I smelled it."

"Who was it?" I asked cautiously, not sure I wanted to know the answer. Then again, the only vampires Jake knew of were the Cullens; as far as I was aware, he still had no clue about Tanya or James. I bit my lip; maybe now was a good time to tell him about it. I opened my mouth to speak before I lost my nerve, but then Jake began to talk.

"I don't know. It wasn't anyone I recognized."

"So what now?"

"I have to call Sam," Jake mumbled before fumbling around in his pocket and digging up his cell phone. I wasn't a big fan of watching him drive and talk on the cell phone at the same time, but then another wave of motion sickness passed over me and I ducked my head between my legs before I could protest.

Through my deep breathing, I heard him grunt and then leave Sam a terse but urgent voicemail. I could tell he wanted to talk to Sam right away, not leave a message in his inbox.

"Where are we going?" I asked Jake.

"Home."

"What?" I shrieked. I don't know why the concept didn't hit me before; where did I think we were going when Jake took off like that? But there was no way I was going back to Forks now. We had only been gone for a few days, a little over a week, at most, I haven't been keeping track, and now he wants to go home?

"We're going back to Forks. There was a vampire within a hundred feet of us at that park, and I'm not putting you at risk like that," he stated adamantly. Oh, if he only knew.

"But you said you didn't recognize who it was. Were they after us? I didn't see them."

"It doesn't matter, Bella. What matters is-"

"No, Jake. Vampires exist all over the world, not just where we live. They're all over, Jake. And I'm sure it was just a coincidence. Nothing happened, we're fine, I'm fine. Please, I don't want to go home yet." I knew I was at the point of almost begging with Jacob, and I wasn't even sure myself why I was lying. I didn't believe the things I was saying.

It most likely wasn't a coincidence; I of all people know that! It most likely was something to get away from, to worry about, yet here I am, trying to convince my werewolf boyfriend that the vampire we ran into meant us no harm.

I sighed. My life would never be normal.

"It's not safe, Bella," he said, but I could tell he was half defeated already. He was fighting with himself, unsure of what to do. I knew he didn't want to cut our vacation short either, but he also wanted to make sure we would be safe.

"I'm sure Sam is with Leah. I'll call her right now." With shaking hands I pulled out my cell phone and dialed her number. I wasn't sure exactly what I was trying to do or why. I thought that if Jake talked to Sam, and hopefully Sam could calm Jake down about the situation, we can continue our escape from reality. And, well, it would give me some more time to figure out how to tell Jake about the whole situation he hadn't been privy too.

Leah was as unnerved about the issue as Jake was, and she repeated told me I'd better get my ass back in Forks, where it belonged. She quickly realized my stance though, and knew she wouldn't change my mind, so she sighed and handed the phone to Sam after briefly giving him the update.

Jake all but ripped the phone out of my hands. "Jake" I scolded, "you're driving. Here, put it on speakerphone, I'll hold it," I insisted.

My motives weren't exactly pure and innocent. Of course, I didn't want Jake to drive while talking on the phone, but I also wanted to hear what Sam had to say. I was ready to interject at any time to defend my point.

Jake told Sam exactly what happened as I listened on. Sam tried to be calm and logical, for Jake's sake I'm sure. "And where are you now?" He asked.

Jake squinted and looked around outside of the truck, looking for a sign of some sort. I guess he didn't know where we were going. "I think we're still in California."

I sighed and moved the phone closer to me so Sam could hear. I wondered if Leah was listening in to our conversation as well. Yeah, she probably was.

"Listen" I began. "Sam, don't vampires exist all around the world?"

"Yes," he answered, already knowing where I was taking this conversation.

"So couldn't it have been anyone just passing through, or going about their daily, um, routine? Who would be coming after us?" I asked with a nervous laugh. Actually, I had a few ideas.

Jacob snatched the phone back from me and turned it off speakerphone, putting it to his ear. I leaned against the window praying this wouldn't end our trip early. He clicked the phone shut a few minutes later.

"What's the verdict?" I asked.

"Sam thinks it's safe," Jake replied after a moment. "As long as we get out of the area and I keep my guard up."

"So we're not going home yet?" I felt the excitement bubble forth through me, and a huge grin splayed across my face.

Jake looked at me and I could tell from his expression he wasn't happy about this. But he saw that I was, and Sam gave him the okay, so I knew I was going to get what I wanted. We were going to continue this road trip -vampire stalking us or not. I was hoping for the latter.

By early afternoon I was getting restless and antsy. We had stopped to pick up a quick lunch, but Jake had insisted we eat it in the car and keep driving. He still wanted to get as far away as possible.

I pulled out the map and looked around to find where we were. Originally, once we had left Yosemite, Jake had been heading North, as he'd wanted to, but we turned around and were now headed somewhat southeast. I looked for the closest city on the map.

"Jake, Jake, Jake!" I squealed, bouncing in my seat. I had found our next destination.

Jacob chuckled at my actions, and I was glad he was getting some of his normalcy back. I didn't want him to be stressed about what happened the whole rest of the trip.

"What, babe?" He asked, rubbing a hand on my thigh. I pointed at the map.

"Las Vegas," I declared.

"Vegas?" He asked, looking at me from the driver's seat.

I nodded enthusiastically. "I've always wanted to go to Vegas," I told him.

"Really? I've never heard you mention that. Since when have you wanted to go there?"

"Since I saw it on the map," I laughed. "But, really, it's a big city and it's fun and exciting. Even if we can't gamble or anything I'm sure there are things we can do. Just sightseeing alone would be awesome. And we have to stop at that big sign thing that says Las Vegas, and we can stay at that big famous hotel, and oh, Jake, it'll be so much fun!"

Jake laughed his boisterous laugh. "Las Vegas it is."

We booked a room at this huge hotel that looked fancier and ritzier than anything I had seen in Forks. It looked more expensive than my college tuition, but surprisingly we got a good last minute rate on a decent room. Jake and I got our bags in our room and admired the view from the eleventh story window. The eleventh floor was high enough, I couldn't even imagine looking out the window from the forty second floor. That's how many floors this place had – forty two.

And of course the first thing we did once we got settled was hop in the elevator and press the button for number forty two. We were hoping to get a peak of the suites up on the top floors, but the halls were empty and all the rooms were shut off. Jake found the window, though, the one that I didn't want to go anywhere near because I didn't want to think about how up we were, but he kept raving about the view, so I took a deep breath and crept closer to the window.

And Jacob was right. The view was like nothing I had ever seen before. Although it was still light out, the skyline was breathtaking. All the glitz and glamour and fantasies of Las Vegas were fulfilled just by that one look.

"It's amazing," I breathed. Jake wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead.

"That it is." We both admired the view in silence before Jake spoke again. "I'm sorry I freaked out this morning, Bells. I guess I just over reacted. All I wanted to do was keep you safe, you know that, right? I would never let anything hurt you," he swore.

"I know Jake," I whispered kissing him sweetly on the lips. He deepened the kiss after a moment and parted my lips with his tongue. I felt both my and his tension melting away in this moment, wanting nothing more than to feel security and love from each other, which was overflowing on both accounts.

I was getting lost in the kiss until I heard someone clear their throat not too far from us. Jake and I snapped our heads up to find the cause of our interruption. An older man was giving us a stern and parental glare of disapproval while slipping his door card into the slot and pushing open the door to his penthouse suite. I blushed furiously and brushed myself off, scurrying to the elevator to get off this stuffy floor. I heard Jake following, muttering something under his breath.

We found a nice place to eat dinner at, but nothing too fancy, since both of us would be underdressed if that we the case. Of course, even though it was casual didn't mean it was cheap. I handed the waiter my card with a bit of hesitance. I promised myself that I would start paying attention to prices from now on. I knew I had more than enough to get us through this trip, but I should probably be responsible and make sure I was keeping track of everything, at least.

I stuffed the receipt into my purse and Jake and I drove back to the hotel to drop off our car. The waiter had given us some pointers on where to go, and Jake was itching to visit this go-cart racing track. I rolled my eyes – mention something to do with cars or racing and Jake would be there in a heartbeat.

We spent most of the night there, and Jake looked like a kid in a candy store. There weren't many other people there, but enough to have some decent and interesting races. If someone had walked in, Jake and I definitely stood out like sore thumbs. You could easily pick out him and I. I was the one hitting all the barriers and getting stuck. And Jake was the one with this look of sheer determination and concentration on his face, while trying to maintain his lead in first.

After three races around the track, I bailed out and watched from the sidelines, preferring to watch my Jacob race around the track like a pro. Too bad we didn't have anything like this back home. Then again, if we did, I probably would never see Jacob.

We were walking back to our hotel hand in hand and I was snapping pictures at every opportunity. It felt so surreal to be here, and I was determined to capture every moment.

"Hey! Excuse me!" I heard someone calling. I turned around to find a pretty blond haired and young looking girl making her way toward Jake and I. In her tow was a young guy who looked around the same age, with cream colored skin and an odd expression on his face. I instinctively backed up to be closer to Jake.

I saw him say something to her, which she replied to with a stern look. "It's our only option, Alec," I heard her say before turning her attention back to us. She put on a hundred watt smile.

"Hi," she started, and I could tell that the smile was fake and plastered on her face. She was up to something. "Do you have plans for the night?" She asked. I looked at her confused and she laughed shortly. "I'm sorry, that probably sounds very odd. My name is Jane. I know you don't know us, and we don't know you, but my boyfriend and I need a favor, and I was hoping you could help us out."

**A/N: Okayy, so was that anything like what you expected? I suppose I have some explaning to do, just to clear things up. So, I'm not saying anything about the identity of the vampire that Jake caught scent of, but he simly freaked out and wanted to get Bella away from it. He doesn't know anything about Tanya/James/Bella/Edward and all that. Bella is aware that it could be someone after her, but she feels that running away is the best answer to just forget about it and worry about the situation later. So she convinced Jake to continue their trip. I hope that puts you up to speed. And Jane & Alec mentioned at the end of this chap are human (again I was too lazy to come up with names, haha). Any guesses on what favor she needs of Bella and Jake? ;) **

**Reviews are love!**


	35. The Accident

**A/n: Im so sorry for the delayed post. My classes started back up again and the work is piling up - I apologize for not getting this out sooner! **

**Thank you thank you thank you for all the love and support and encouragement and constructive criticism you leave in your reviews! It helps so much and I'm glad you're enjoying this fic as much as I am.**

**Again, I've never been to the places Jake and Bella are now, so forgive me for any geographic and descriptive errors. I'm basing this off Google and my imagination.**

**One reviewer guessed correctly what Jane and Alec are up to. . .**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight. I own a bunch of textbooks that I haven't read.**

CH 35 BPOV

Don't ask me how I ended up in a violet dress with a bouquet in hand standing next to Jane, who was about to get married, after only an hour of knowing her. Here I was, looking every bit cliché, attending a shotgun Vegas-style wedding.

I'd like to blame Jake, and says it's his fault, cause it's certainly not mine, but he isn't to blame either. To be honest, I was a little afraid to say no to Jane, and by the looks of it, I'd go as far as saying that Jake was intimidated by her himself.

Jane is a very strong and determined woman in a pint sized package. I could swear she was only fifteen, but apparently, according to her, she's eighteen. And ready to get married, even without her parents approval. Alec, her boyfriend, didn't seem as convinced. The poor boy gave us sympathetic looks every time Jane did something outrageous.

Like insist I buy a dress in her favorite color to be her makeshift maid of honor. And then expect me to do the duties of a maid of honor, like I was truly part of her special day.

Jane had waltzed right up to us on the sidewalk and asked us to be witnesses at her wedding. The cute little chapel where she and Alec were tying the knot required for the couple to bring witnesses, which they hadn't. Enter Jake and I. We said 'what the hell' and decided to go along with it. After all, how often does this happen?

Hopefully, not very often.

I smiled at Jake, who was dressed a bit more casually in dark jeans and a black blazer, and rolled my eyes. Jane and Alec were between us, repeating their vows to make their everlasting bond official. Poor Alec.

I thought of my own wedding day, and if it would be anything like this. I've always wanted something small, maybe just Jake and I, nothing big or fancy. But now, looking at Jane and Alec, as happy as they were, or should be in Alec's case, I realized that this wasn't what I wanted.

They had no family here to speak of, no one to enjoy their day with them – except for strangers that they picked up off the street to sign the papers. It was kind of depressing.

While dress shopping earlier, Jane had explained to me that her boyfriend of a year, Alec Volturi, was a very important man. Or at least, the son of a very important man. They were like royalty, and had all kinds of money, but for some reason disapproved of their son's relationship with her. I wonder why.

Since learning of the Volturi's dislike of their daughter, Jane's parents insisted she end the relationship. And of course, when both parents are doing their best to push their children away from each other, they end up getting hitched in Las Vegas the second it's legal, and Jane makes it official that she is part of the Volturi family. Isn't it funny how that works?

Watching the two recite their mandatory vows, I could tell that they did care for each other. I wasn't so sure of that fact earlier, when Jane was controlling and making demands of everyone. She no doubt was in charge of that relationship. Alec simply smiled and rolled his eyes, brushing off her brash demeanor. He was the buffer between Jane and, well, everyone else. Yet he loved her like nobody's business.

The newly pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Alec Volturi invited Jake and I out to celebrate.

Jacob and I both agreed that we had had enough of that scene, so we walked back to our hotel.

"That was. . .interesting," Jake noted.

I giggled. "Very."

"I'm glad you talked me into staying," he admitted. I lifted his arm and rested it over my shoulder so I could snuggle closer to him and wrap my arm around his waist.

"Me too."

"We've gone to a water park, a club, met Bree and Riley, camped out in a national park, and been witnesses at a wedding. And it hasn't even rained once."

"Ah, yes. I haven't missed the rain."

"But do you miss home?" Jake asked.

"Of course."

"Sam asked me to be his best man, you know," he told me.

I smiled to myself, but anyone could've seen the grin I was sporting. "I kind of figured," I admitted. "Leah made me maid of honor."

"Sweet. Oh, Bells, I can't wait. You're gonna look amazing."

I laughed at Jake's innocent expression. "Jake, it's about Leah and Sam."

"I know, I know. But I know you'll look great. But not more beautiful than you will be when it's our turn."

"Our turn for what?" I teased. We sauntered through the lobby of the hotel and Jake led us to the room, since I couldn't for the life of me remember what floor we were on or what number our room was.

He rolled his eyes. "You know what I'm talking about," he said with a smile.

I did know what he was talking about – when he and I get married. It was one thing to think about it and another thing to talk about it with Jacob. I guess it was one of those things that's implied sort of; I know Jake and I are going to be together forever, I don't need a ring or papers to tell me that.

Jacob got the shower first, and while I was waiting I decided to make some phone calls. I hadn't spoken to my mom for a day or two, and I'm sure she would love an update. I know she must have been holding herself back from calling me every hour I was gone.

"Bella! How are you baby?" She gushed when she heard me on the line.

"Good. Having a lot of fun."

"Where are you?"

"Um. . ." I knew what my mom was going to think the second I told her we were in Vegas, and suddenly I was very nervous to disclose our location. "Nevada."

"Nevada? Oh, well that's interesting. What's in Nevada?"

"Well, you know," I replied, hoping she wouldn't probe much more.

"I don't know, actually. I've never been there. Where are you staying?" She asked.

"Well, a really nice hotel. It's huge, Mom. It's got, like over forty floors and these huge suites."

"How long are you planning on staying there?" She inquired.

I shrugged, even though she couldn't see. "I don't know. Maybe another day."

"Oh. Well, I spoke to your Uncle Phil this morning, and told him about your road trip adventure. He's out in Arizona now, you know. He said you and Jake are welcome to visit him."

My mom's brother Phil, my Uncle, had recently gotten married and moved to Arizona. We were never really close, but I saw him a few times a year, and had met his wife only once at their wedding. "That was nice of him," I said honestly.

"I don't want to tell you what to do, Bella, but I think it would be a great idea for you to visit him. I mean, you're not too far away, and I'm sure you're planning on visiting more places. You could spend some time with them and do some sightseeing or whatever it is you kids are doing on this trip. I have his number."

I wrote down the number and thanked my mom, promising to call again soon. After storing the number in my cell phone, I dug around in my purse to find the phone charger. I hadn't been paying attention to it and the battery on my phone was almost dead. I guess my phone call to Leah would have to wait.

I found a bunch of receipts in my purse and decided now was as good as time as any to look them over and check the damages. I cleaned out my entire purse, watching with a frown as the pile of receipts grew larger. I hope I didn't spend more than I had planned already.

I sat down at the desk in the hotel and opened the calculator on my phone. Our unbudgeted spending had put a decent sized dent in the amount I had allowed myself, but we still had some left over. I knew we would have to watch what we were spending now, between trinkets and souvenirs, clothes, hotels, gas, dinners, activities. Maybe it was a good idea to head to Arizona and spend some time at my Uncle's.

"What are you doing?" Jake's voice made me jump. I didn't realize he had finished with his shower. He came up right behind me and rested his head on my shoulder.

"Just assessing the money situation."

His face became worried and apprehensive. "Did we spend too much?" He strained to see the total amount that was calculated on my cell phone, but I snapped it shut before he could get a good look. I had already accepted and insisted that I would be paying for the bulk of this trip, since I had babysitting money saved up and also funding from my parents.

"No, we're fine," I assured him. I showered quickly before getting into bed where Jake was already settled. He wasted no time wrapping me up in his arms.

"I'm gonna take care of you, Bella, I promise," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"With money and everything. I wish I could do that now, but I can't. But I'll do whatever it takes to take care of you, to provide for us. I may not ever be rich, but-"

"Jake, stop," I interrupted. "I don't expect you to be rich. That doesn't mean anything. Besides, you're in school and you're not working. I'm not worried about it."

"I want you to be happy. I want to give you everything you want," he said. It was very sweet on his part, and sincerity was obvious in his voice.

"I know, Jake. But you don't need money to do that. I'm happy just by being with you. And I already have you – everything I want." I kissed him sweetly on the lips just to prove my point, as if he needed convincing.

"You're too good for me," he whispered against my lips. I held back from rolling my eyes. I had the most loving, patient, sweet, loyal and not to mention gorgeous boyfriend, and he was claiming I was the one too good for him.

"I've been in love with you my whole life," he continued, "sometimes it feels surreal when I'm holding you like this, when I'm kissing you like this." He put one hand on the side of my face and moved me closer to him to kiss me deeply this time. It wasn't needy or urgent like a lot of kisses we shared – there was a subtle passion and spark to it. He took his time caressing my lips with his own, slowly moving them over mine.

It was like slow torture, but the best kind. On one hand I wanted to stop all the gentle crap and straddle him to the bed, but it was overpowered by the sensual and deliberate pace he was setting.

"You've given me everything I've ever dreamed of, Bella," he whispered against my neck, where he now was paying special attention to with his mouth. He placed his hands on my hips and rolled me on top of him so I was flush with his body. There was no better feeling.

I aligned myself with him so that our lips could meet, which was the only disadvantage to our height difference. We'd learn to deal with it, though, there were ways around it.

"There's only one thing you haven't given me yet," he said. I stopped for a moment, trying to fish through my brain and figure out what the hell he was talking about, and more importantly, why he was bringing it up now, when all I wanted to do was devour him. And after he had just said all these good things, he's going to bring up something I haven't done? I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Marry me, Bella." What? I almost asked him to repeat what he just said. Did he really just ask me to marry him? One look in his eyes and I knew he had. There was nothing but pure adoration. But he was still in high school, and I wasn't even really in college yet. Did he expect us to get married right out of high school? What would people think? Sure, Leah would probably be thrilled, but my parents? Oh man, I hope Charlie didn't keep any of his guns at home, for Jake's sake.

He was silent, waiting, and I assumed he was serious; he was really waiting for an answer. Sure, it wasn't exactly your traditional proposal, but was there any possible way he thought I would say no? I was Jake's – heart, mind, body, and soul.

Without thinking of my parents, or college, or money, or Leah, or anything else except Jake and I, my answer was simple.

"Yes," I whispered in the quiet room. I couldn't stop the dorky smile on my face.

"Oh thank God," he exhaled. "For a second I thought you were going to say no," he laughed. "I love you, Bella Black."

Okay, seriously, this boy knew how to turn on the sap. I swear if he keeps talking all sweet and emotional and deep like this I was gonna start crying. It was overwhelming to hear my name spilling from his lips like that. Something so simple meant so much in both our eyes.

He kissed me again, and slowly rolled us over. His hands were everywhere, electrifying every nerve in my body. I was acutely aware of every sensation and hoped I was causing the same reaction in Jake.

"Make love to me," I whispered. It was a line out of the movies or something, I know, but I had to.

I think everyone knows the first time isn't all that great. Everything is new, and especially with Jake and I – I don't think either of us knew what we were doing. We learned each other's bodies pretty well in the past few weeks, and each time was better. This night was no different. If not the most intense experience I'd had. I felt everything - every emotion flowing through my veins, and then I felt nothing but sheer pleasure.

We both came down from our highs whispering words of love. Jake pulled out of me after catching our breath, and it reminded me of the messy aspect of sex. I had forgotten about that part.

"Be right back," he said, before kissing me and heading to the bathroom. My eyes got heavy and I curled into my side, prepared for a long night of sleep.

A moment later the door to the bathroom cracked open and I waited to feel the dip in the bed when Jake got in. But I didn't.

"Um, Bells?" Weird. I pushed myself into a sitting position so I could see him from the bed. The look on his face caused my stomach to leap and sheer panic to come over me. "The condom broke."

**A/N: O0oOoOoO..don't hate me *hides***

**So, a few things: I tried to keep Jane and Alec somewhat in character, or at least how they would act in this fic. But I read Meyer's series a while ago and I've kind of forgotten what they're really like in the books. Besides that, Jake was totally turning on the charm and romance this chap, huh? C'mon, how sweet is he? Anyone expect that proposal?**

**And the cliffie, yes I know, I hate it too. **

**Leave me a review! Just something to let me know what you thought! Favorite part? Did you like the Alec/Jane ? And, um (I'm afraid to ask), reactions to the ending? Hate it? Love it? Aren't sure what to think? Let me know! And I always love to hear predictions for the future!**


	36. Plan B

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating! I know I let you off with a pretty big cliffie. But school is kicking my ass, and I am drowning in all the work on my plate so I'm behind on my writing for this fic. I'll do my best to write chapters and post them whenever I get the chance.**

**Your reviews from last chapter were amazing! A lot of them made me laugh. **

**Again, thank google for my knowledge on a lot of things in this chapter. If it's inaccurate, I apologize.**

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to S. Meyer.**

CH 36 BPOV

"No. No, no, no, no, no. That's not even funny, Jacob."

"Um, I'm not joking, Bella." I was sitting on the edge of the bed, almost at the point of hysteria. My brain couldn't process every thought that was running through it at that moment when Jake told me the condom broke and I remembered I wasn't on the pill at the moment.

"How did it break? How is that even possible?" I demanded. "It was new, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I just opened the box, I swear."

"Well when did you buy the box? Are they the wrong size or something?" My voice was getting louder. "Why weren't you more careful?"

"Bella, it's not my fault," Jake insisted. "I didn't do anything."

"Oh my god, oh my god. This can't be happening, this isn't real."

Jacob came over next to me and sat on the end of the bed. He wrapped one strong arm around my shoulder and pulled me into him, attempting to be soothing. "It'll be alright, Bella. Just relax. Everything will be fine."

I pushed him away and stood up, my anxiety causing me to pace the room frantically.

"No, it's not okay! Because I'm not on the pill, and your stupid condom broke, and now I could get pregnant! Shit, what if I'm pregnant? What am I gonna do about school, and who's gonna watch it, and, oh my god, my parents are gonna flip out! We don't have the money to take care of a kid. Jake, I don't want to have a baby at eighteen!"

"Bella! Will you calm down, please?" Jake begged.

"Jacob! This is not a time to be relaxing, this is a time for panicking!"

"Panicking? You don't even know what's going to happen. You're probably getting upset over nothing. There's nothing we can do now, anyway."

Wait. There is something we can do now. Jake's words triggered some sort of memory in me. Isn't there a morning after pill or something? I began shuffling around the hotel room in a frenzy searching for the keys to my truck. Jake looked on in apprehension.

"What are you doing?"

"I need my keys," I told him.

"Uh, why?" he asked.

"We have to go to the store."

"Now? Bella it's the middle of the night. What do you need at the store?"

"Plan B."

Jake's eyebrows scrunched together as he tried to figure things out. "Uh, Bells, Plan B? What was Plan A? I think I missed something."

I would have laughed if the situation didn't involve me. But right now, this was my life and future we were talking about, and I saw no reason for humor.

"No, Plan B," I explained as I brushed by him pulling on a pair of pants and a tee shirt. "It's like birth control that you take so you can't get pregnant, but it works after something like this happens. Come on, let's go." I swung open the door and looked back at him expectantly.

Jake was scrutinizing my outfit. I groaned. "I don't have time for this right now. We have to go!"

"You have no shoes on," he informed on.

"Crap." I rushed back into the room and looked around for my shoes. I grew frustrated when I couldn't find a matching pair. I felt the tears spill over and down my face and heard the sobs coming from my body. Frustration was not helping the stress and anxiety levels already spiking in me.

"Bella, Bella," Jake soothed, rushing over to collect me in his arms. "Bells, come on. It's okay, it'll be alright. We'll be fine, I promise. Things will be fine."

How were things going to be okay? He was okay with all of this? Sure, because he wasn't the one who's life was going to be ruined if I got pregnant. He wouldn't have to tell my parents, or deal with the stares and judgment of the gossipers in Forks; he wouldn't have to give up going out and going to college and being a teenager.

"No. We have to go," I insisted.

"Let's wait until the morning. Please? Just try to sleep – there's no reason to be freaking out. We can deal with this first thing in the morning. How long do you have to take that pill?"

I wiped my face dry, although it didn't stop more tears from flowing. I shrugged. "A day or two, I think."

"Okay, so it's settled. It's late, and we've had a long day. Let's just go to bed and first thing tomorrow we'll get this sorted out."

No, it's not settled! I wanted to shout. Didn't I have a say in this? I don't want to wait. This isn't fair! If he hadn't brought those stupid condoms we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place! Why had he let this happen?

But was it really his fault? I don't know, ugh, I wasn't thinking rationally. My head was spinning too fast.

Jake lay in bed and tucked me in next to him, curling his body behind mine. I resisted the urge to push him away.

He was snoring softly twenty minutes later while I was still counting the designs on the ceiling. I untangled myself from his embrace and he unconsciously shifted so he was lying on his back with one arm draped over his chest.

My eyes felt heavy but I couldn't sleep. My mind was working in overdrive and wouldn't shut down. I was envious and resentful that Jake was sleeping so soundly, that this didn't bother him nearly as much as it bothered me. Did he not care? Did he want me to be pregnant?

Clearly, it would not be the right time in our lives to have a child, for either of us. Jacob was still in high school, for god's sake! We couldn't have a baby. My parents would be so hurt and so disappointed.

There was always adoption. We could give the baby up for adoption. And that way we know it's taken care of and being loved and supported and all that. Or, well, there's. . .

I groaned and hit my fist into the pillow. I didn't want to think about this right now. I shouldn't have to be thinking about this right now. Could the world be so kind as to just use this mistake as a example, to scare Jake and I into being more careful, but not end up in a pregnancy? I hope so.

Eventually, I was lulled into a non restful sleep, with flashes of nightmares here and there that I couldn't remember. Jake and I were solemn the next morning, although he tried a bunch of times to lighten the mood and get me to cheer up.

We each showered quickly and packed out our bags. Jake persuaded the hotel manager to let us check out early, and I didn't care if she was shamelessly flirting with him and looking him up and down. I just wanted to get out of here. I met Jake in the truck.

"She said there's a pharmacy close by," he told me while hopping into the driver's seat. I was staring out the window, contemplating the spontaneity of life, when he interrupted my thoughts.

"So what exactly are we getting?" He asked.

"Plan B," I muttered.

"Ok. What's it do?"

"It's an emergency contraceptive. It'll just make sure that I don't get pregnant. Like the pill, kinda." I really didn't want to explain this anymore. All I had to do was run in the store, swallow the pill, and this would all be over.

"Um, it's not. . .like, abortive, or anything, is it?"

"I don't know. I don't think so."

"You don't think so?" He said. I sighed.

"Jake, I have no idea how it works. All I know is I do not want to get pregnant."

"I know you don't, Bella. But if taking this means. . . if it. . ." He couldn't finish his sentence, and I wasn't sure that I wanted him to. I was trying not to think about the details.

We pulled into the parking lot of a small convenience store and pharmacy. I suddenly realized that I would have to purchase this somehow, which meant going to the register with it in my hands and handing it to the cashier, and then. . . What would she think? That's embarrassing; I wouldn't be able to look her in the eye.

"I can't do this," I said, out loud.

"What do you mean?" Jake looked confused.

"Can you buy it?" I pulled my wallet out of my purse and handed him some cash. "Here. Can you go in there?"

"Bella. . .I don't even know what it looks like."

"I don't. . .I can't go in there, Jake. I'm so embarrassed. Please?"

He contemplated this for a moment, his face scrunching up into a few different emotions before settling on one. "Fine. I'll be right back." He left the car running and kissed me on the forehead before dashing out into the store.

My heart was racing a hundred miles a minute as I waited for him to return. I really wasn't sure what to think or what to do.

I may have screamed when my cell phone started ringing. It was so silent in the cabin of my truck that it scared me when it went off.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Bella, it's Leah."

"Hey, Lee. What's up?" I asked, trying to speak as calmly as I could.

"Not much. I just got back from First Beach," she panted. It was then I noticed she was kind of out of breath.

"Everything okay?" I inquired.

"Um, yeah. Well, no, maybe not. I'm not exactly sure," she admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I had to run down to the beach to calm Seth down. Bella, he-"

I wasn't hearing anything she said after that because my gaze caught on to Jake who was coming out of the store and back towards the truck – empty handed.

"Leah, I gotta go. I'll call you back." I told her before shutting my phone. "What happened?" I asked Jake.

"They didn't have it." Jake didn't waste any time backing up and pulling onto the highway.

"What do you mean they didn't have it?"

"I mean they didn't have it, Bella."

"So what do we do?"

Jake shrugged. His lack of concern for our situation was really starting to piss me off.

"We head to Arizona."

"I mean about the whole broken condom thing, Jake," I said with exasperation.

He shrugged again. "I guess we just wait and see."

Not what I wanted to hear. I groaned and searched for the painkiller in my purse. This was staring to give me a major headache. I popped one in and made a make-shift pillow with a sweater so I could lean my head against the window semi – comfortably. It would have to do for now.

I woke up to the unpleasant feeling of an empty stomach. Jake was still driving, focused on the road with a pensive look on his face. The music was low in the background and I a paper bag sitting next to me on the bench seat of the truck.

I cleared my throat, dry from an uncomfortable sleep.

"Morning," Jake teased. I smiled back at him half – heartedly. "There's food for you. I stopped to pick up breakfast but didn't want to wake you up."

"Thanks, Jake." It smelled delicious. There were eggs and bacon and sausage and hash browns – all great breakfast foods. I didn't know how Jacob had even had the will to leave me some and not eat it all. Breakfast was my favorite meal of the day, even if I was currently eating it at lunch time.

"Where are we?" I asked Jake, not bothering to look around at the signs on the highway.

"Wickenburg or something like that. About another hour until we get to Phoenix. And then you'll have to direct me to your uncles."

"Yeah, no problem."

We stopped so both of us could stretch and I could give Jake a break with driving. I called my Uncle Phil and he gave me directions to his place and told me everything we could do in Phoenix. He was excited that we were able to come down to visit him.

Phil is my mom's younger brother, and he is even more carefree and lackadaisical and air headed than my mom. He just retired from minor league baseball; a few years ago he had constantly been on the road traveling from place to place with his team.

I was happy that Jake and I would have other people to be with on this trip, I was seriously missing Bree and Riley and other companionship besides just Jake and I. I think spending too much time with each other was causing us to get on each other's nerves.

I picked a good radio station and hopped in the car, and Jake took his position in the passenger seat. Neither of us were in the mood to talk, so I turned up the radio station and drove into Phoenix.

**A/N: Drama is coming! I promise. Ok so, opinions, suggestions, comments, concerns, predictions? Leave a review. Favorite part? What is Jake thinking? I know Bella pretty much flipped out in this chapter, and overreacted, well, a lot. But does she have reason to? Is she preggers? What was Leah calling about? Let me know what you think.**


	37. The Stress

**A/N: Okayy, soo. . .this is the last chapter until we get back into the action. But that's all I'm going to say. I hope it's not dragged out too much, but I there were a few things that I needed to get through in this chapter, in B/J relationship and all that. Just bear with me :). Thank you for all the support for the last chap, you guys are the best readers ever! Reviews make me so happy :)**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight. **CH 37 BPOV

Uncle Phil and Aunt Maria made an adorable couple. She was his opposite – very level headed and logical. Which meant of course that we got along great.

My Uncle Phil took an instant liking to Jacob, which was nice because I could have some girl time and Phil took Jake around the town.

Maria took me shopping and treated me for a few things. I didn't need anything, but I saw some cute things that I thought would make a nice addition to my wardrobe. I wondered if I was going to have to completely change my wardrobe in the future, for instance, get a bunch of bigger clothes, with stretchy waistlines and some extra fabric in the belly area?

I've heard women say that they knew the second they were pregnant. And then I remembered horror stories of women who had no idea until they were in labor and ready to push. So how was I supposed to know? I didn't _feel _pregnant, but then again, I have never been pregnant, so I don't know what it feels like. But if I'm doubting that I am, does that mean I'm not?

It was all a waiting game now. I had done the calculations in my head, and if all was well, I would only have to wait another week or so to find out.

The four of us met up at a popular steakhouse and slid into a booth, me next to Jake, and my aunt and uncle across from us.

"How was your afternoon?" Jake asked.

"It was a lot of fun," I emphasized, making sure Maria knew how much I had appreciated the girl time. It was light and easy – the conversation hadn't ventured into deep things. Just two girls getting to know each other. Maria was a southern belle; her hometown is somewhere in Texas. As she was telling me about herself she skipped over most of her childhood and upbringing – I could tell that she didn't want to talk about it and there were a lot of things she probably wasn't proud of. But I didn't ask any questions, and I only told her the basics about myself.

"Our day was pretty fine, too, wasn't it Jake?" Said Uncle Phil with a smirk on his face. Where had they gone? I glanced over at Jake, who was wearing one of those heart-stopping ear-to-ear grins. He was almost bouncing out of his chair – he must have hit it off with Phil.

"Yup," he answered with another smile. I'll admit I was pretty jealous that Jake was still able to be his normal peppy self and enjoy our trip, while here I was worrying and contemplating life-altering decisions.

They gave no more hints about what their day entailed, which led me to be more curious. My Uncle Phil slyly changed the subject.

"Jake tells me you kids have been together for almost a year now?" He asked. Oh, right. When was that again? Next month? I forgot what today's date was – I'll have to check once we get back home. And what was I going to get Jacob for our anniversary? Did we do that kind of thing – celebrate our anniversary and buy each other gifts and everything? What could I possibly get him?

"Yeah, almost a year," I confirmed.

"Well I think that's great – a young and mature couple like you guys enjoying a stable and normal, healthy relationship. Too many kids these days get such distorted views about dating and marriage and family." Normal? What was normal about Jake and I? He was a werewolf, and I was a fragile human being who was a magnet for the supernatural. Yeah, common issues, right?

"Uh-huh," I agreed.

"What does your mother think about this? I'm sure she just adores Jacob," Phil said.

Jacob chuckled under his breath and left it to me to answer that question. I assumed my mother had spoken to her brother about Jake and me when she made the arrangements for us to visit them, so he was probably playing dumb. Then again, maybe my mother hadn't aired all of our dirty laundry.

"My parents have always loved Jacob. We grew up together, so he's always in a way been part of the family, like I've been part of his. And when we started dating they just assumed it wasn't serious – it was just something we would do until I went away to college and did other things. But when they realized that Jake and I were serious, they kind of flipped out and forbade me to see him. Which led us to this trip," I concluded.

"Hrmp. When your mother called me she seemed like she was okay with this whole trip."

"Oh, yeah. We kind of reached a compromise about school and my relationship. And this is like one last hurrah before we go back to responsibility and I start school and everything." Or one last hurrah of our teenage lives and we have to go back to Forks and deal with raising a child. Either way, I guess this trip was a last.

"I see," Phil said. "I think we should do something like that, Maria," he continued. "Go travel the world without a schedule or a plan. I traveled a lot with baseball, but I never really got to go on an adventure, like these two."

"Okay, honey," Maria said with a roll of her eyes and a sweet, knowing smile.

Dinner was served, and it was amazing. So delicious – I wish we had a steakhouse like this back in Forks. It was cooked to perfection and the mashed potatoes were buttered and seasoned just right. I wish I could get the recipe. I took mental notes so I could experiment at home.

Sometime during the meal, one of Jake's hands had snaked across the booth and was resting on my thigh. It wasn't sexual at all, just an intimate gesture that I'm sure was supposed to make me feel loved and special and all that. But right now, all it made me want to do was throw up.

It's not like all of a sudden I found Jake unappealing and unattractive. I don't think anyone in their right mind would think that my Jacob Black was anything but gorgeous. But right now, I couldn't even fathom being close to him again – not now, knowing what disastrous consequences could come out of it. Every touch made me acutely aware of the risk involved in having sex. And I for sure do not want to put myself at risk again anytime soon.

"So Bella," Maria began, "you mentioned you're going to college in the fall?" She and Phil knew about my plans to start college soon, and they also knew that Jake was only going into his third year of high school. Yet they had no problem with it, and for that, I was grateful. Age didn't matter to me, and I was the one in the relationship, so why should it be an issue for someone on the outside looking in?

"Yeah, I'm starting at a college in Washington. It's a bit of a commute, but they have a great program," I explained.

"Bells is gonna open up her own restaurant," Jake added through mouthfuls of food.

"Really?" Uncle Phil asked. "That's great! You know, Maria graduated with a bunch of degrees in business. If you ever need any help getting started, give her a call. We'd love an excuse to take a vacation."

"Thank you," I mumbled, blushing. "But that's a long way off. I don't know if I'm going to get that far."

"You'll get there. My niece is a smart girl," Phil said. He asked Jake about his plans post-grad, but I didn't hear a thing he said. My attention became solely focused on the family a few tables away from us.

A woman who looked about to be in her early twenties was unsuccessfully trying to calm down a young child, who was beginning to cause a bit of a scene, spilling food on the floor and crying at the top of his lungs. My thought process just stopped as I took in the scene, except the mother's face was replaced with my own.

The boy began squirming and attempted to get out of the high chair. The mother had to push away her plate and give all her attention to her son. She pulled him out of the chair and onto her lap, handed him a toy and lay him against her chest, rocking him slowly back and forth. He quieted down and lay content against his mother. A second later she maneuvered her arm around the boy so she could eat her dinner and hold her son at the same time. It was as if she knew exactly what to do.

"Must be a handful," Maria smiled, looking in the same direction I was. Her words broke me out of my trance and I was startled to see Jake and Phil abruptly end their conversation and turn their attention to ours.

I nodded at Maria, hoping that would be the end of the conversation. Of course, it wasn't.

"I'm sure he is a handful, but it's all worth it at the end of the day. That's what I've heard at least," my Uncle Phil chuckled. "Are you two going to have kids down the line?" Ugh, did he really need to ask that? "How many do you want?"

"Actually, we haven't talked about-" I started.

"A few," Jake said at the same time.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "A few? How many is a few?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Three or four."

My jaw may have slacked open in shock. Three or four? "You want three or four kids?" I asked incredulously.

"Not specifically. But yeah, I guess."

"With who?"

"What?" He asked, clearly confused by my question. Maria cleared her throat and attempted to change the subject but I wasn't having it.

"Who are you going to have three or four kids with, Jacob?"

"Bella," he began, looking around the room to see if we had attracted any attention. "C'mon. We'll talk about it later." He tilted his head toward my family across from us, indicating that now wasn't the best time to be having this conversation, or argument. And I knew it wasn't the right time, but I couldn't stop myself.

"No. No, we'll talk about it right now," I insisted.

"Bella, really. It doesn't matter. We have a while to even start thinking about having a family, right?"

"It might be sooner than you think, Jacob," I muttered with bitterness in my voice.

"What is that supposed to-"

"You know, I guess it's good that something like this came up. Because we never have discussed stuff like this, and if we are planning on spending the rest of our lives together we probably should have the same goals and want the same things. Obviously, we disagree on one important issue, I wonder if there are any other things we don't agree on." There was just no stopping me once I got on a rant.

"Bella," Jacob said more sternly. "This is not the time. We can talk about it after dinner."

"Fine. I want to go."

Jake excused us from the table and dragged me outside of the restaurant. "What the hell is wrong with you tonight Bella?"

"I don't know!" I shouted. "Maybe I'm realizing that there are important things we never talked about. If you want a big family, Jake, I don't want to hold you back, I don't want to stop you. And I'm not sure if I'll want that many kids – if I'll ever want any kids at all! You should find someone else who wants that." I may have been sobbing at the end of that, but I didn't notice.

Jake pulled me tightly into a hug I couldn't escape from. "Bells, you really are ridiculous sometimes. I love you, I want to be with you. Things like that can be compromised and we can work it out. I promise you we will talk about this when we get to a hotel. But please, let's go back and finish dinner and enjoy the time with your relatives. They haven't seen you in a while."

I nodded wordlessly and wiped my face clear of tears before trudging back inside. The rest of dinner was somewhat peaceful, with no more outbursts on my part. The tension was obvious, though.

Maria and Uncle Phil insisted we stay with them in their townhouse instead of paying for a hotel when they had the extra room. It was a beautiful three story home; a perfect size for the two of them. They pulled out the sofa bed and Maria threw sheets and extra pillows on it. They gave us an air mattress if we wanted, but my Uncle Phil promised he wouldn't tell my mom he was allowing us to share a bed. As long as we behaved. He didn't have to worry about that.

Jake and I dressed for bed and Uncle Phil and Maria left us alone for the night. It wasn't late, but it had been a long, long, day and we were all eager to hit the sack. Jake and I hadn't spoken much since my mini breakdown, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to bring it up.

Before I slipped into bed, Jake pulled me into another hug, which I'm sure was supposed to make me feel better, but it only made me feel worse. He pulled back and looked into my eyes, which I'm sure were dull and possibly red from all the crying I had been sporting as of late.

"I love you," he said before pressing his lips to mine. I went along with it, because I didn't want to keep denying him little things. It would only led to more deep conversation that I didn't want to have. My lips moved of their own accord, although my mind was a million miles away. Jake began trying to go further, and that's when I had to push him away.

"They won't hear us," he whispered, as if that's what I was worried about.

"It's not that," I said. He waited for me to elaborate and I sighed. "I don't want a repeat of the other night," I amended.

"Bella," he groaned. "It was an accident. It happened one time. Are you never going to be with me again because the damn thing broke once? That doesn't happen every time."

"It only takes one time, Jake."

He sighed and flopped on the bed next to me. "You're really worried about being pregnant?"

"Uh, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know."

I was exasperated and frustrated with Jacob's lack of concern for the possibility that I was pregnant. Sure I wasn't positive, but it could happen. And he should be worrying right along with me.

Unless. . .

"Do you want me to be pregnant, Jake?"

He shrugged again. "It wouldn't be the end of the world," he muttered. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Maybe I was dreaming. This can't be true – Jacob thought there were worse things that me being pregnant at eighteen and having a child when neither of us had steady jobs or careers or any of that. Well, I'm sure there are worse things, I could think of a handful, but this was pretty awful.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"I wouldn't mind starting a family with you. I want to, actually."

"And now is the time to do that?"

"Well, no, maybe it's not perfect timing, but-"

"But nothing! I should have realized sooner. This is why you've been so unconcerned and not worried. You want me to be pregnant!"

"Not that I want you to be, but it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. I think it would be nice."

"You think it would be nice? Are you out of your mind? Do you know how much a baby costs? Just the medical expenses during the pregnancy and then once it's born – diapers and formula and clothes and furniture and doctor's visits. We can't support a baby, Jake. And who would take care of it? I'm not giving up school to stay home and put off my career. I don't want to be a stay at home Mom the rest of my life. I had plans, and I even gave up some of them so I could stay with you, don't ask me to give up more."

Jake was silent and nodded slowly. Oh, crap. I probably should have thought about what I was going to say before I said it. That sounded bad.

"I told you I never want to hold you back from your dreams Bella," Jake said bitterly. "I don't want you to resent me for it for the rest of your life. You know what, you should go. In fact, I insist you take your parents up on it and transfer to that big school in the city that you've always dreamt about going to. That way, you never have to say that you gave up something to be with your high school boyfriend."

"Jake, no. I didn't mean that. That sounded bad – I didn't mean it like that. I want to go to school here to be closer to you. I just meant. . well, I don't know what I meant. But I'm scared, Jake. I'm really scared." I couldn't help the tears that sprung forth.

It softened Jake immediately and he came closer to comfort me. "I'm sorry. I know you didn't mean it like that. Everything will work out Bella, I promise. I'll do whatever you need me to do."

"I'm sorry," I sobbed. "I'm sorry I've been pushing you away, and I'm sorry I can't stop crying and arguing with you. I love you."

"I love you, too. C'mon let's get some sleep so we can enjoy Arizona tomorrow, okay?"

"'Kay." We both snuggled deeper in the bed to get comfortable. As soon as I was drifting off to sleep, the ringer of Jake's cell phone was bringing back to consciousness. He groaned and got up out of bed saying he forgot to turn it off.

One look at the caller ID and he changed his mind. "It's Sam. I should answer it."

Oh no! I had totally forgotten to call Leah back! And it sounded important – she said something had happened with Seth. . .

I was such a bad friend. "Put it on speakerphone, I want to hear. I forgot to call Leah back yesterday."

Jake was apprehensive for only a moment before situating the phone so both of us could hear. Of course I knew if it was official pack duty he would have to take the call himself.

"What's up Sam?" He answered.

"Jake, what's going on? Listen, I'm sorry that I'm interrupting your trip or whatever. I've put it off for as long as I could, but things have gone too far."

"What are you talking about?" Jake demanded.

"Seth phased," Sam told us.

"Seth? Little Clearwater Seth?" Jake asked. I slapped my hand over my mouth before he heard me gasp in surprise.

"Yeah, that's the one."

"But. . . but he's so young. Why did he phase so young?"

"I have a theory."

"What's that?" Jake gestured to me to be quiet, and I'm sure this is the part that I wasn't supposed to hear.

"You know how when the Cullens showed up, we all started phasing? I think we phase involuntarily when our tribe is in danger, when there is vamps around."

"But Seth didn't phase before, when the rest of us did, so why would he phase now?"

"There's been more. More vampires."

"What?" I saw Jake's eyes widening, mirroring my own shock and suspense.

"We need you to come home, Jacob."

**A/N: A few things to say before I let you go to leave me wonderful reviews:**

**What did we think of Uncle Phil and Aunt Maria? Cool, not cool? Where did Jake and Uncle Phil spend the day? Any guesses?**

**Also, I've decided to have a little contest, per say. . .If Bella opened a restaurant, what would it be called? PM me with your answer or leave a review (even if you don't have an account). Winner will get a special mention and my eternal gratefullness! And if that's not enough to motivate you, idk what is. lol**

**Moving on, any thoughts on Bella's outburst? Was it too OOC? Did we like it, hate it, hate to like it? **

**Oh, and one more thing- What the hell is going on in Forks? Predictions, comments, concerns, and suggestions welcome!**


	38. Revenge

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Steph Meyer.**

CH 38 BPOV

Please don't let this be my fault. Please let this not be about me. Please. Please. Please. Not me, not me not, me.

"It's about Bella," Sam said.

Well, crap! There goes that plan. Thanks a lot, alpha.

When Jake got the phone call from Sam saying there were more vampires in Forks, we were both instantly on alert. And then Sam just couldn't stop talking and demanded Jake come home since it involves us.

"We'll leave as soon as we can," Jake agreed before I could stop him. I opened my mouth to protest, but Jake stood up and started pacing the room. This was not going to be good. Jacob pacing was never a good sign.

"What exactly has been going on?" Jake asked. I was grateful that it was on speakerphone so I was clued in as to why my spontaenous summer was going to be ruined.

"We've been running patrols non-stop after Quil picked up the scent of a vamp. They've been in and out but keep escaping over the treaty line. We haven't had any clues what was going on until the Cullens decided to pay us a visit. I saw them waiting at the treaty line the other day while I was with Paul. They want to meet with us, the doctor and his son – the one that's after Bella."

Jake growled and I rolled my eyes. Really Sam? Was that necessary?

"What do they want now? Are they adding more people to their monster clan?" Jake spat out.

"Edward said he knows what has been going on and what these vampires that have been coming through here want. He wants us to meet with him, and we're waiting for you to get back, Jake. I'll catch you up more when you get here," Sam promised.

"What did he tell you?"

"I told you I'll fill you in when you get here. I think it's better that way," Sam protested.

"Sam, damn it, if you don't tell me now. . ." Jake replied angrily, beginning to shake. A moment later I saw him look at me and take a long, deep breath. "Look, just tell me. We'll leave as soon as we hang up, Sam. But I need to know what is going on, so we don't waste any time. Especially if it involves Bella and I."

I heard Sam groan on the other line. "You are so impatient, Jacob, this is ridiculous-conducting tribal matters over the phone. When, for that matter, you are in another state! Okay, listen, this is what I gathered from Edward: this vamp Tanya apparently has it out for Bella."

"Well who the hell is she?" Jake growled, shuddering visibly again.

"I'm not going to tell you if you're only going to interrupt and get all possessive. I know Bella's your girl but she's the pack's responsibility, too. That's how I consider it; the pack agrees. Just like they would do the same for Leah, and Kim and Claire and whoever else comes along."

"Of course," Jake agreed.

"So shut up and listen. It doesn't get any better," Sam warned. Oh god, now I was getting nervous. It had to do with me? "This chick Tanya is apparently from this place where the Cullens used to live and they're great friends, yadda yadda. According to Edward, when Bella went over to their place Tanya saw her and was jealous because Edward is into Bella but Tanya likes Edward." I winced when Jake turned in my direction and narrowed his eyes.

Okay, so he didn't know about that little visit.

"Tanya confronted Edward and he said that he wasn't interested in her because he's in love with Bella." Jake growled again at hearing that. This was going to get worse before it got better.

"So Tanya apparently went psycho and obsessive and made this whole plan to get Bella out of the picture so she could be with Edward. Dude, I'm actually kind of pissed at the Cullens because they knew stuff going on with Bella and didn't tell us until now."

"What stuff?"

"So you know when Bella went to New York, right? This vamp James is like Tanya's brother in law of sorts, and Edward says he's a pretty sick in the head dude. So, in a favor to Tanya, he went to New York for Bella. The messed up part is that the Cullens found out about it and decided that they could handle it on their own. So the pixie one and her creepy boyfriend, or husband, whatever he is, went to New York to hunt down Bella and make sure James stayed away from her. Jasper said James got pretty close but he took care of him before anything happened."

Okay, so he didn't know about that either.

"Edward assured me that he and his family were looking out for Bella every day after she got back, and were on alert for any more 'schemes' from their 'friend.'"

"So what does that have to do with the stuff going on now?" Jake asked.

"They want revenge. The clan that Tanya's from, her family or something. Her two sisters and Edward says there's two more but he's not sure the extent of their involvement yet. Tanya lied to them saying Jasper killed James because of Bella and since one of her sisters was mated with James, they all want to get their revenge on the Cullens, and Bella, too."

Wonderful. Not only is Edward's stalker wanna-be girlfriend out for my blood, but now her whole family is delusional.

"So the sisters have been tracking you, Edward said. One of them has been staying with the Cullens and trying to get information on Bella. Edward told me she must have slipped and he was able to read her mind and found out about their plan."

"That must have been the vampire in the park!" Jake exclaimed with realization.

Well, yeah, and most likely that was the one in the club, too. But he didn't know about that.

"So Carlisle kicked out the sisters and came right away to tell us what they knew. And bro, I swear that's all I know. As soon as you get home we'll meet up with the Cullens and see what we're gonna do about it," Sam concluded.

"What _we're_ gonna do about it?" Jake asked. "You mean we as in the pack, right?"

Sam sighed on the other end of the phone. "We as in the pack and the Cullens. This involves both of our families, Jacob."

"Yeah, well you and I will have a discussion about that later. I am not going to work as an ally to those bloodsuckers."

"It's not up for discussion," Sam insisted. "Just get home and we'll figure it out."

Jake shut the phone and threw it harshly in his bag. I was anticipating his reaction – it wasn't going to be good.

To my complete and utter shock and surprise, Jake grabbed me up into the tightest rib crushing hug and pulled me into his chest. I was too startled to hug him back, so I stood there awkwardly until he let me go.

"I thought you would be mad," I said softly.

"I didn't say I wasn't," he responded. Oh. Okay, well then he was clearly sending mixed signals here. "I'm happy that you're okay. Only you can be a magnet to battles of the supernatural, Bella," he chuckled darkly. "But what in the hell were you thinking?"

"What do you mean?" Yes, I'll admit it – I was stalling.

"Um, I mean the fact that you didn't find it important to tell your boyfriend that two of the Cullens were following you around in New York? And this vamp James was after you? How did he even get that close to you? What the hell did you do in New York? Oh, and when did you go over to talk to Edward when Tanya could have seen you in the first place?"

"Jake, I can explain," I said, but he began walking away.

"I don't have the time," he responded.

"No, listen to me." I ran over to the other side of the room to grab his arm and pull him to face me. "Listen to me, Jacob. The last time this happened you didn't let me explain and look what came from that. Just listen!"

He exhaled loudly and then turned his attention to me. "I'm listening."

I didn't exactly have what I was going to say planned out. "Well, um, you see. . . that night that you and Emmett got into a fight or you and Edward, whatever, after I left your house I. . . well, that's when I went to talk to Edward and tell him that I was in love with you and only you and for him to butt out of my life. And that's also the night that Tanya was visiting them, and she saw me. I'm sorry."

Jake huffed. "It's not your fault that Eddie boy has got crazy obsessed chicks after him. You didn't do anything. But I'm upset that you didn't tell me any of this, even what happened in New York. Were you afraid to come to me? Bella, if we're going to be in a solid relationship, I need you to communicate with me and be honest, not hide shit from me. For instance, life threatening stuff would be a good place to start."

"Okay," I promised. "I won't hide anything from you. I'll tell you."

"Better late than never," Jake mumbled. "Can you start packing please? I'm going to talk to your aunt and uncle."

He walked away before I could argue. I guess there was no way I was going to convince him to stay on the trip after this.

I sighed and reached for our bags, shuffling through our things to make sure we had everything. I didn't unpack much, just when I changed into sweatpants for bed, so I repacked my clothes from the day and zipped up our duffel bags. I hiked them over my shoulders and glanced around the room to see if I was forgetting anything.

I noticed Jake's black tee shirt thrown to the side of the bed in a heap on the floor, and bent down to pick it up. By mistake I grabbed the plastic bag that was underneath it, too, which I didn't even know was there. I heard a thump and realized I was holding the bag upside down – whatever was in it must have fallen out. I spun around to search for the offending item; what I saw knocked all the breath out of my chest.

A small, black, square, velour box was in the middle of the carpet. I knelt down and against all my better judgments, opened the box. A beautiful white gold engagement ring stared back at me. There was one large diamond in the center offset by a bunch of smaller diamonds encrusting the band. Jake bought this for me? Was this what he spent the day with my Uncle Phil doing?

He was planning on proposing? Well, technically, he already did, but I didn't think he was serious serious. Like, buying a ring serious.

The sound of my truck's engine startled me and I quickly snapped the box shut and threw it in the duffel bag with the rest of Jake's things. I hurried out to the car and packed our bags in the back before climbing in the passenger seat. I felt guilty for not saying goodbye, and Jake must have read that on my face.

"I told them that you got homesick and wanted to head in the direction of home. It was the best I could think of on short notice," he explained. I simply nodded and turned my attention to the road.

"How long will it take us to get home?" I asked once we were safely on the highway headed north.

Jake shrugged. "I think about a day, if we drive straight there."

"Are we planning on driving straight there?" That is a long time to be stuffed in my truck.

"Yes," he answered simply.

What shocked me next was the time. Uncle Phil and Aunt Maria were going to think I was crazy. Getting homesick and up and leaving at midnight? Not exactly sane. But I couldn't think of a better excuse Jake could have told them.

I slept for a few hours, most of the night, and took over driving the next morning when we stopped at a rest stop to get gas and take care of human needs. I heard Jacob's soft snoring for about ten minutes before he woke up and decided I was driving too slow. I argued that this was all my truck could take, but he insisted on taking over driving again.

I listened to music and flipped threw a magazine that Aunt Maria had bought for me back in Arizona, but nothing was really working to ease my mind. The tension in the truck between Jake and I was almost unbearable. I didn't like it one bit.

**A/N: Reviews would make my day! Also, head over to my profile in vote in the poll posted about a name for a restaurant! Thank you to those of you who reviewed for the last chapter and left me ideas! I couldn't pick just one, hence the voting. So go pick your favs. I'll love you forever :)**


	39. The Homecoming

**A/N: Chapter 39 everybody! Sorry this took forever to post, I was on hiatus from life for a while and that included a break from technology, including my computer. So I finally got this up, and it's longer than I expected. I know I keep promising all this action, it's coming just bear with me. :)**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

CH39 BPOV

It was early afternoon by the time we reached Washington. After leaving Phoenix, Jacob had insisting on driving through the night and most of the following day. At nightfall, I convinced him we both needed the rest, so we stopped and spent the night at a hotel off the highway.

But now I realized we only had a few hours left to our trip until we would be in the eye of the drama of a tornado that was spinning through Forks. That only we knew about, of course. Jacob and I hadn't spoken much – neither of us really knew what to say in this situation.

Jacob had been forgiving when I came clean with everything. Of course he wasn't happy that I didn't tell him in the first place, but he maturely heard me out and didn't jump to conclusions. The results of that had been devastating last time, and I think we both learned our lessons.

I was upset we had to end our trip prematurely. I had done my best to persuade Jake to make a few more stops and see some more places unsuccessfully. He was determined to be home. I suppose I was in denial. I didn't want to believe that a clan of vampires was out for my blood or the fact that this could be turning into a malicious battle. Why couldn't Edward just take the crazy stalker out on a date or something? Or just pretend that he likes her – at least for a little while, and then he could call things off and make it look like it had nothing to do with me. But no, things had to be difficult.

When we started seeing familiar landmarks closer to home it was as if Jake was reinvigorated with a burst of energy, and his foot was heavier on the gas pedal. He was eager to be out of the truck and thrown into the action. I noticed he took the roads that would lead us right to La Push, and he had bypassed the way to my house completely.

"Are you going to bring me to my house?" I asked.

"No," Jake answered adamantly. "I want you on the reservation, with me, and where the pack can protect you and keep you safe."

The reality of the situation was beginning to dawn on me, the realization that this wasn't a game or something that would come and go. It was hard to swallow.

"What about my parents? What if she tries to go to my house?" I asked in a panic.

"Sam has the pack running patrols around your house. They will be fine. But for now – they still think we're away, okay?"

I nodded, vowing not to make this more difficult than it already was. Jacob was smart, he would figure this out and I knew I could trust him to do everything in his power to keep me safe. I had gotten us into this and I wasn't going to risk anymore. I refuse to continue being such a liability.

This Tanya chick had shown herself to be a pretty determined little annoyance. She really wanted Edward, and for some reason, she felt that he would love her once I was out of the picture. She had gone as far as deceiving her family, telling them lies, betraying the Cullens, all to get rid of usually unnoticed, unimportant me.

Obviously, she had issues. And she wanted me dead. Which was not a good combination. It scared me to think of what she would do to get her way. How many people she would be willing to hurt, even kill? James had already died for her cause – how many more will she allow to fall before giving up?

If they plan on attacking, on fighting, someone will have to lose. How many would be risking their lives because I put everyone at risk? I would much rather hand myself over to Tanya than put my family and my loved ones in harm's way.

"What's going to happen, Jake?" I asked softly, afraid of hearing the answer.

Jacob's expression fell vulnerable for a quick second, and I saw the sympathy in his face. He reached over to my lap and grasped one of my shaking hands into his own, slowly rubbing comforting circles on the back.

"You'll be fine, Bella. I promise I won't let anything happen to you," he swore.

I didn't push the issue because we were pulling onto the dirt road where the Clearwater's lived. Leah and Sam were sitting on the porch steps appearing anxious. Both of them jumped up when they heard the rattle of my truck.

Leah raced over to us and practically pulled me out of the passenger's side before the truck was even stopped. She was hugging me frantically and I hugged her back tightly with tears rimming my eyes. The tension in the car ride and dangerous possibilities looming over us were beginning to be too much stress for me to possibly handle alone.

Leah understood without words what I was feeling, and I was grateful I finally had a trusted girlfriend. I needed to unload all this emotion baggage.

"Lee, we'll be back later," Sam stated, interrupting our girl moment.

My nerves were on high alert, and I shot Jake a look of panic when I realized he was going to leave. He crossed the few steps between us and wrapped me in his arms placing a kiss on my forehead.

"I have to go meet up with the pack," Jake began. "Stay here with Leah; it's safe. You'll probably stay here until this is over. Remember that your parents don't know we're home, okay? I'll be back in a few hours." He was gone before I could protest.

I followed Leah up to her room and collapsed face-first into a pillow on her bed as she sat cross legged next to me. I didn't know where to begin.

"Road trip was good?" Leah asked.

I smiled and sat up, laughing at Leah's attempt to ignore the elephant in the room.

"Yeah. It was, at least up until Sam called."

Leah rolled her eyes. "So tell me all the exciting details. I'm so jealous – you got to be out traveling the world not worrying about a thing and I was stuck here playing pack mother. Have you ever realized how needy these boys are?" She asked with a chuckle.

I shrugged, all my energy spent. "I don't know, Leah. We did a bunch of things. We stayed in Oregon and California and Vegas and Phoenix."

"Vegas, huh?" Leah winked. "Whatdya get hitched or something?" She teased.

I blushed and Leah's jaw dropped to the floor. "No!" She exclaimed once I didn't answer. "Isabella Marie Swan, I swear if you ran off and got married and didn't even tell your best friend, I-"

"Leah! Leah, stop!" I laughed. "I didn't get married, I promise."

"Oh. Well, okay. Why didn't you just say so?"

"Well, Jake did ask me to marry him."

Leah squealed and grabbed my hands and began bouncing on the bed with the biggest smile on her face. "Oh, Bella! This is wonderful. I can't believe it! Congratulations! This is great!" I let her rant for a few more minutes before saying anything else. "Now we can plan our weddings together!"

"Whoa, Lee," I laughed. "You may be tying the knot in a few months, but I'm pretty sure Jake and I are going to be engaged for a while. A few years at the least."

Leah pouted. "Well, fine, party pooper. You can at least help me plan mine then." Leah reached over the side of the bed and pulled out a stack of bridal magazines. She plopped a few in my lap and placed a few between us on the bed before taking one for herself."You know, my maid of honor ran off with the best man this summer and for the past few weeks I've been doing this all on my own."

For the next hour or so we holed ourselves in Leah's room flipping through pages of fantasy weddings and beautiful gowns, reception halls, flower arrangements, napkin placements, color schemes, and many more wedding related things that I didn't even know existed. It was fun to take my mind off things and worry about something far less complicated than life threatening danger.

I ate dinner with Leah's family, who were very welcoming, as always, and in the know. Since Harry was a part of the tribal elders, and both Leah and Seth were now involved in the pack, the entire family was clued in to the situation. I was kind of embarrassed that I had caused all of it, and half expected them to hate me, but they showed completely the opposite.

It was nice that their family was so open about everything, including the supernatural. I have a feeling that my parents would lock me up in a loony bin if they heard us talking.

Jacob and Sam returned after it grew dark. Leah and I were in the living room in the middle of one of our favorite movies while waiting for their arrival. They plopped down next to us on the couch, looking exhausted.

Jacob scooped me into his arms and I nuzzled into his warm chest. "You need to sleep," I insisted.

"Can't," he replied.

"Why not? You drove all the way here, Jacob, on barely enough sleep. You need to rest."

"We've got a meeting with the Cullens at midnight. They're going to explain everything they know about all of this, and we have to agree on temporary terms for the treaty. We've agreed its best to fight as allies."

My eyes widened in surprise and a bit of shock. Leah and I were not usually clued into tribal matters; at least it wasn't spoken of so freely. Although Jacob had been keeping me updated and informed of this situation while it was just the two of us, I hadn't expected that treatment to continue, especially in front of Sam.

I quickly glanced at Sam and then back at Jacob, shooting him a warning look. I did not want him getting into trouble with Sam.

Jake scooted me off of his lap and got up from the couch, stretching widely with a yawn. "I've got to get home and shower. I'll be back before we have to meet the Cullens," he said to Sam. "Bella, walk me outside." He tugged lightly on my hand and I followed him to the porch.

"I'll be back soon, okay? But for now I think it's best that you stay with Leah. Seth will be here and he can communicate with the pack if he needs to."

"Okay." I buried my head in his chest.

"This will be over soon, Bella. We'll get through this. I'll keep you updated, okay?" His words reminded me of something I wanted to ask him.

"How come Sam didn't stop you from talking about that tribal stuff in front of Leah and me?" I glanced up at Jacob. "I thought he told you that you couldn't."

"Sam's. . . no longer in charge anymore," Jake replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I accepted the position as alpha, Bells. I'm in charge of the pack now. Sam cannot dispute my decisions, and I don't see any reason you can't know what is going on under these circumstances, when it involves you."

"You're alpha now?" I wasn't sure what to say; I had no prior experience in any of this.

"Yes."

"Oh, well, that's, um. . . that's great, Jake. Congratulations."

He sighed. "Thanks. It's just so much pressure and responsibility now. I hadn't exactly finished thinking it through – I thought we had more time before we returned home. But alpha is running through my blood, it's a part of who I am, and today when we met with the pack it just came out. Everything switched – it was like everyone was focused on Sam and then all of a sudden they're all looking to me. It kind of chose me."

"You'll be a good leader, Jake," I assured him.

"I hope so. The elders want to hold the ceremony and do all the traditional stuff to make it official and everything. It will probably happen once all this is over."

"So you make all the decisions now?" I asked.

"Mostly."

"So about the meeting with the Cullens tonight. . ." I began.

"What about it?"

"Am I invited?"

Jake scoffed. "It's not exactly and RSVP event, Bella. It's hardly something you'd want to be invited to."

"But I want to be there."

"Why?" He asked. I didn't exactly have an answer. I was cautious of the idea of the Cullens and the pack all in the same vicinity without someone as a buffer and a peacemaker. Sam and Carlisle usually fulfilled that aspect, but now Sam was no longer in charge. I needed to make sure Jacob didn't lose control.

And I told him just as much. And I may have added in a few persuading points as well. "It is because of me, isn't it? This whole situation is because of Edward and me. Well, and Tanya. I've seen and met her before, and I know what happened in New York with Alice and Jasper and James. I know the Cullens better than you do. I know about their abilities."

"I don't know Bella . . ."

"Besides, Jake, I don't want to be at Leah's sitting around wondering what's going on. I'm . . . afraid. I don't know what is going to happen and it's all my fault that this is going on in the first place."

"Stop saying that. This is not your fault, Bella. You haven't done anything, so don't even think that. Okay?"

I wasn't in entire agreement with him, but I knew if I said so he wouldn't take that for an answer.

"Okay."

"I'll be back in a few hours and you can come with us to meet the Cullens if you'd really like to. But you stay by my side the whole time." Like I would go anywhere else, I thought. "My father is expecting me so I got to go. See you in a bit."

I wasn't exactly sure of how to prepare for a meeting with the Cullens. This sort of thing had never been done before, and I'm pretty sure it would never be done again. But who knows, maybe this whole issue would unite the pack and the Cullen clan and we can all live happily ever after and forget all of this ever happened. Well, points for wishful thinking, at least.

I showered at Leah's and dug through my bag for a clean pair of clothes. We hadn't done laundry often on the road trip, and I was going to have to put that on my to-do list. I busied myself with getting ready, and not thinking about why Jacob was taking so long and what could have possibly happened.

I was grateful that Seth was now a part of the pack; he was stationed at the Clearwaters and would be on alert for anything unusual. And he felt as if he had to prove a point to the pack, since he was the youngest and newest member, so he took his assignment so very seriously, while Leah and I avoided the topic and tried to think about something else.

I was sitting on the floor of the bathroom while Leah braided my hair in that fancy way the girls did on the reservation that looked so simple but that I could never get right.

"Don't be worried, Bella," Leah said softly after neither of us were saying anything for a while. "If you want to talk about it, we can."

I shrugged.

"Everything will work out. It will be settled and then we can all go back to normal. Nothing to be worried about."

"Actually, there is a lot to be worried about," I told her.

"What do you mean?"

With all this vampire stuff going on, I hadn't had time to worry about if I was pregnant or not. But once glance at the calendar in Leah's room and I felt my stomach drop. I had never been late for my period a day in my life. So why did it have to happen now?

After seeing that, I was torn with worry and stress and so completely overwhelmed with everything. Now I had Leah to lean on about the impending fight that put us at such risk, and now I needed to tell her the other bad feeling which was keeping residence in the pit of my stomach.

"I mean that even if all of this doesn't kill me when I get home my parents might kill me, or at least try to kill Jacob because we had sex and the condom broke and I'm late and I think I'm pregnant," I gushed out in one breath.

Leah took a moment to process this. Her silence was scaring the hell out of me.

"Lee?" I asked meekly.

"Why did you tell me?" She asked in a hushed voice after an agonizing moment of silence.

I tell the girl I think I'm pregnant and all she has to say is why didn't I tell her? Yeah, that's my best friend. If it wasn't so serious I might have laughed.

"I don't know Leah. I didn't think it was important with all this other stuff going on."

"I guess that makes sense. Sort of. Oh, hell, I don't know." Leah hugged me close to her.

"We'll figure this out Bella. How late are you?"

"Um, I don't know. Like two or three days I think."

"Well," she said. "That's not so bad."

"Leah, I'm never late though. I always can pin in down to the day."

"Have you taken a test?"

"Like a pregnancy test?"

"No, silly, a career aptitude test. Yes, a pregnancy test."

"You know, Leah, sarcasm isn't always appreciated in situations like these," I said.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. But I'm still kind of in shock here. Okay, here's the game plan. We go first thing tomorrow morning to the store and buy a pregnancy test. That way we can find out for sure."

A minute later after we had that all set up, Jacob and Sam came barging up the stairs and we hurried into Leah's room. Sam wasn't too pleased that Jacob was letting me go with them to the meeting, but it was Jake's decision. It was odd to see Sam back down like that.

Leah had no interest in being anywhere near the vamps, her words, so she was content as long as I promised to fill her in on every detail. I hugged her goodbye and followed Jacob and Sam into the woods.

**A/N: So we're back in Forks. Jake's alpha and Tanya's got it out for Bella. Questions, comments, concerns, suggestions? Leave 'em in a review! Predictions welcome :)**

**Also, please go check out my profile - there's a poll of restaurant names that I'd love for you to vote in. Thank you so so much to those of you who sent me suggestions. You rock!**


	40. Alliances

**A/N: So we've made it to the big 4-0. Chapter 40. I know I posted two days ago, but I feel like I needed to pump out this chapter soon b/c we're all waiting for the action to happen. As someone pointed out, an 'Eclipse' moment is coming up. Since this does kind of paralled the books in an AU kind of way, it is like what happened in Eclipse. Just different. If that makes any sense. Which it probably doesn't because it's late and I'm ranting and I need to go to bed.**

**Thank you all for the reviews for the last chapter, I try to respond personally to all of them when I get the time, but if I didn't get to, just know that I really do appreciate it and it makes me a better writer!**

**Little bit of a lemon at the end, so be prepared or just skip it. **

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Mrs. Meyer. I just pretend.**

CH 40 BPOV

It wasn't anything like I expected. Naturally, I had never been to a vampire – werewolf meeting before, so I had no prior comparisons. Never theles, it was far from what I pictured.

We met on neutral territory. I hadn't the slightest clue where we were because my eyes were squeezed shut tightly while I held onto Jake's back for dear life as he ran through the woods paralleled by Sam and flanked by the rest of the pack.

I was regretting convincing Jake to let me come; this wasn't my place and I felt very out of step. It was too late for that now, though.

The Cullens were standing in a line on one side of the field as the pack slowly entered the meadow leaving the security of the wooded land. Everything was opened and exposed now.

Carlisle and Edward seemed to be the main focus of attention, but I looked at each of them carefully. Alice and Jasper and Rose and Emmett were there as well, along with Carlisle's wife. They looked very stoic and confident in stature. Had they done this sort of thing before? Had they even had to war with another coven? I couldn't help but wonder if Edward had any more crazy wanna-be girlfriends running around somewhere.

There was an abundant amount of tension, that's for sure. It was as if everyone were on their toes, waiting for the other side to strike first. They had to continually remind themselves that even though they were face to face with their mortal enemy, now they were allies.

I was instructed to keep away from most of the action, and my mere human ears could not compare to the supernatural hearing and talking that was going on. The pack stayed in wolf form, making it extremely uncomfortable for me to be the only human on this side of the field. Edward was being translator of sorts, and Carlisle was talking to Jacob. I couldn't hear what was going on in his head.

I caught Edward's eyes on me here and there and I could tell the pack wasn't happy about it. Jake snapped in his direction once or twice and I had to hold myself back from yelling at the both of them. This was neither the time nor the place.

Alice also tested the wolves' patience when she shot me a bright smile and waved. Only she could be peppy in light of this situation. I smiled back. After all, I considered Alice a friend of mine. Definitely not like I considered Leah a friend, but nonetheless she was a good person. When we hung out in New York she was a lot of fun, and very entertaining to be around. And she had saved my ass from James twice. I at least owed her my gratefulness for that, if nothing else.

It seemed as though the meeting was winding down after an hour of talking and occasional barring of teeth. I sat up when I saw Dr. Cullen turn in my direction.

"My family would like a word with Bella, if that would be okay," he said.

A loud and threatening growl erupted from Jacob's chest. I knew it was him without even looking. Overprotective boyfriend of mine. I stood up and brushed myself off before walking toward the invisible and unspoken line separating the Cullens and the pack.

Before I could blink, a large russet wolf bounded in front of me, blocking my way.

"Jake," I muttered, embarrassed by his jealous nature. I tried to get around him but he stood his ground. "I'm just going to talk to them."

Jake stepped forward and I stepped backwards until we were backed into the woods and somewhat hidden from view. I knew what he was doing. He phased unashamedly in front of me.

"What the hell are you thinking, Bella? You can't just go over there to a bunch of bloodsuckers! They're dangerous – you could get hurt!" I rolled my eyes at his callousness.

"Jacob, do you hear yourself? You're being ridiculous. Obviously, they know how to control themselves. I've been sitting here for the past hour and none of them have tried to come at me. They just want to talk. And I think I need to thank them, they are doing us a favor, if you hadn't noticed. The Cullens were very close friends with the coven in Denali, and I'm sure it isn't easy for them to side with a pack of werewolves over their old friends."

I let the words sink in and saw that Jacob knew I was right. So he pouted.

"Bella, please. I don't want to have to watch you go over there right in front of me."

"Well, now you're just being selfish. You have no reason to get jealous, Jake. I'm not going to go running into Edward's arms or something."

A growl erupted from Jacob's chest. "Jake. Stop. Just don't watch then if it bothers you. I'll be right back." I moved around him and walked into the Cullen's space without looking back for fear I would lose my resolve. It was going to be quick; he would have to get over it.

"Bella!" Alice squealed. She closed the distance between us once I was safely on their side and hugged me into an embrace. "I'm so sorry about all of this. Who knew Edward attracted crazies, huh?" She giggled. "I promise, you'll be fine. You have nothing to worry about. I'll be closely watching Tanya and monitoring her decisions – the second she thinks of anything, I'll know it. The pack feels very strongly for you and my family does likewise. I know we can't exactly be great friends under the circumstances, but I hope someday we can be."

"Thanks, Alice. I don't think I ever properly thanked you for watching out for me in New York." It wasn't in my nature to enjoy public speaking, or talk in front of an audience like the one I had now. Each and every one of the Cullens was watching me, as well as eyes of the pack. I quickly thanked Alice again and her family for putting themselves in such a position as they did.

I hugged Alice once more and I would have hugged them all if it wouldn't have been awkward. Before walking away, I glanced at Edward. He had a look of pure torture on his face. He looked as if he was in so much pain. I opened my mouth to speak but Alice spoke before me.

"He's been miserable, Bella. He's blaming himself for putting you in this situation. He hasn't been himself. We've tried everything. I don't know when he is going to forgive himself," she explained.

My heart ached for him. This was a big tangled mess we were all in. Edward was not at fault, just like I wasn't at fault. None of us were to blame for Tanya's insane illusions. A part of me wanted to go to him and comfort him, make sure he knew that I wasn't blaming him for all of this. The other part wanted to blame him, but I was fighting to ignore that irrational part.

"Let me talk to him," I told Alice. Edward's head shot up in our direction and I knew he had heard me. Damn vampire abilities.

I heard Jacob snarl as I closed the gap between Edward and I.

"Hi," I whispered.

"Hi," he answered, just as uncomfortable.

"This isn't your fault, Edward. No one is blaming you for this."

"So you say," Edward scoffed. "You forget I can read the pack's thoughts."

I sighed. "Don't worry about them, Edward. It's not your fault. I know that, and I know that you know that."

"I'll never forgive myself for putting you in such a situation as this," he continued.

"You're being too hard on yourself. Do you see anyone blaming you for anything?" I asked.

"No, but-"

"So just cut the crap already. No one wants to see you feel sorry for yourself."

Edward's jaw slacked and he looked as surprised as I felt. I always considered myself a tactful and polite person, but something about him just struck the wrong nerve. I tried a different approach.

"Look, I cannot thank you and your family enough for what you have done. And I will always be grateful."

Edward reached out his hand toward me. "Bella, I-"

We were interrupted by loud protests from the other side of the field. Jacob was about two seconds away from staring a war right now. I sighed, gave Edward a small smile, and waved to his family before jogging across to meet the rest of the pack.

They took off into the woods not a second after I grabbed onto Jake. Leah wanted to know every detail as soon as we got back, but Jake was having none of it. The only time we were separated was when he phased and had final words with the pack. I barely got any words out before he was at the kitchen table with us, arm snaked around my waist.

I have to say I didn't mind the sudden displays of affection. Sure, with the whole possible pregnancy thing, I hadn't been too keen into turning it into anything more lately, but Jake and I had been stressed and tense and this was a welcome difference from that.

Sam joined us at the table at the same time and the conversation halted. Jake may be alpha, but discussing tribal matters with Leah didn't seem appropriate now. I would have to fill her in later. I'm sure she would find out from Sam anyway. Under that tough exterior was just a man with a really big soft spot for Leah. She always found out what she needed to.

But Sam was soon called away by Harry, who no doubt wanted to know all the happenings.

"I don't know about you," Jake started, "but I'm beat. I need sleep. Ready to go?" He asked, nuzzling his face in my hair.

"I thought I was staying with Leah," I said.

"Change of plans," he whispered in my ear. "I want you in my arms all night." The implications of his words made me shudder, and I smiled that after all this time and with everything going on around us he still had the same effect on me.

Leah rolled her eyes and gave me a knowing look. "Okay, no more dirty talk in my kitchen," she teased.

"Leah!" I laughed.

Jake drove my truck to his house holding my hand in his the whole way. He pulled me so close to him so that the entire drive I was leaning against him and he could have an arm draped around my shoulder. I was too content to ruin it and ask what his deal was.

Jake seemed relieved to be home on his turf finally. His house looked tranquil and quiet, unaffected by the scene unfolding hour by hour with the Denali clan. It was a perfect atmosphere to unwind after the long and hectic day we had today.

"Where's Billy?" I asked after Jacob collapsed on the couch. I was lying next to him tracing the length of his arm with my fingertips.

"With your parents."

"What?"

"They don't know anything, relax. He told them he was lonely in the house all by himself since we were still gone and of course your mother insisted he stay with them."

"Oh."

"My Dad knows we're back and he knows the whole situation. He's going to stay with them as an extra precaution, incase Tanya feels the need to take a detour."

I shivered. Her name alone was enough to give me chills now. Jake noticed and rubbed my arms with his warm hands.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to talk about that."

"Did you have something you did want to talk about?" I asked. Maybe that would explain his actions.

He shook his head slowly and pulled me down to him so I was laying flush against his body. His arms encircled around my body and I relaxed into his embrace, closing my eyes and resting my head on his chest.

"I just want to be with you." He lifted my chin so my face was aligned with his and ghosted his lips across mine. "I love you, Bella. I love you so much," Jake whispered before pressing his lips to mine once, twice, and a third time.

"I love you too."

"Forever?" He asked.

"Forever."

Jake squeezed me tighter against him. "I love you so much, it's crazy, Bells. In the clearing today – I just. . .when you went over there. . .I can't lose you Bella."

"What are you talking about, Jake? You're not going to lose me," I assured him.

"Just seeing you with the Cullens. It bothered me so much. To think about if you ever changed your mind and. . ."

"Jake, stop. You have nothing to be worried about. I love you; I'm going to be with you for the rest of my life, remember? You're thinking too much."

He sighed. "I am thinking too much, aren't I?" I nodded, and laughed softly, kissing him again.

I was about to pull away but Jake cupped my face in his hands and deepened the kiss instead. It was full of a different kind of need, an urgency I hadn't felt from him before. It was almost close to desperation.

I had a million things running through my head. Why did he suddenly feel insecure about our relationship? Was he threatened by Edward today, even when he has no reason to worry? Was he more concerned about the impending fight then he let on – is that why he is being so attached? Well, I'm not complaining.

Jake shifted underneath me and it pushed both of us up so that I was on his lap. Jake pushed his tongue into my mouth and ignited that I-need-you-right-now response in my body. I pushed harder against him and ignored all thoughts, working purely on physical need.

He responded eagerly, and with just as much aggressiveness. I fisted the hem of his shirt in my hands and tugged on it until it was over his head, only breaking the connection between our lips for a brief second.

Jake's eyes darkened with lust as he pulled away from me and pulled off my shirt. He was too strong for his own good because it tore in the process. But I couldn't bring myself to care when there was a half-naked Jacob in front of me looking like he did.

"You're beautiful," Jake said huskily.

I channeled all the emotion and energy that had been building for the past week and roughly pushed on Jacob's bare chest with both of my hands so he was on his back and my legs were straddling his waist. Our breathing was coming in pants now, and I wasn't in any mood for talking.

I simply lifted myself off of him enough to reach down and get rid of the last offending garment he was wearing, then slide off my own. It didn't look out as graceful as it sounds, but neither of us were caring about details. We weren't exactly being delicate, either. I was using all of my strength – although Jake probably barely felt it, and he wasn't treating me like a glass vase either.

Jake skillfully reached in his bedside drawer for a condom while remaining in the same position. At least one of us was still thinking coherently. You would think after what happened with us that I would be more focused on these things.

I slid down on him without any hesitation; my body was revved up enough that I didn't need any more convincing. I gasped at the sensation when I felt him fill me completely.

"Bella," he moaned, along with a string of words that I couldn't make out.

I was unsure of my next move, since we hadn't really done this before, but my body was demanding more. I did not let my confident and aggressive façade falter for long; I just did what felt good.

Apparently, it was feeling good for Jake too. I felt the familiar tightening in my abdomen and moved faster as Jacob sped up his thrusts beneath me.

He climaxed just before me, but feeling him pulse inside me sent me over the edge. My head fell back as I rode out the waves of pleasure.

I laid on Jacob's chest waiting for my breathing to return to normal. There was something so sensual and raw about what had just happened that I didn't have any words.

I could feel a cover of sweat over my body and knew without looking that my hair was probably out of control.

"I'm gonna take a shower," I told Jake. His eyes were still closed and one of his arms was slung over them. He nodded and I pulled myself up and into the bathroom, grabbing a tee shirt from his dresser on the way there.

The water felt soothing against my body and I stayed in much longer than necessary. It had been a while since I'd showered somewhere other than a hotel, so I took advantage of it. I shampooed my hair and combed it through with conditioner. After drying off I put on Jake's tee shirt that fell to my thighs and towel dried my hair.

I padded back to Jake's bedroom to find him in the same position as when I had left, expect now he was sound asleep, his chest moving with each deep breath he took.

I smiled to myself and cuddled in next to him, careful not to disturb him. I feel asleep within minutes into a deep and dreamless sleep.

**A/N: So I give you the chapter, now you must reivew! Question, comments, concerns, suggestions? Favorite part? What did you think of the Cullen/Pack meeting? Bella's interaction with the Cullens? The J/B action? Let me know please :)**

**Also, quick note, thank you to those of you who have cast your votes for a name for Bella's restaurant. The poll is still up, so if you haven't had the chance, head over to my profile and pick your favs!**


	41. The Errand

**A/N: Thank you to all of you who review the last chapter! I didn't get a chance to respond to all of them, but I appreciate your comments! Here's the deal: I wrote this out planning on one chapter but it ended up being a little over 4,000 words. And I like keeping my chapters the same length, so I cut it in half. This is the first half, and I will post the second half soon!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

CH 41 BPOV

It was a full house at the Clearwater's the next morning. All of the pack was gathered in the living room –Jacob and Sam were in deep conversation, Paul was defeating Quil and Embry in some sort of video game, and Jared and Seth were out cold on the couch, getting some much needed rest.

I was leaning in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room watching this play out. Jake had woke me up this morning from a comfortable sleep to head over to Leah's. Apparently, this was the spot to be until Jacob heard word from the Cullens.

Everyone was here already when we got here, and Leah was thrilled to have an extra hand. She was playing host – cooking breakfast and making sure all the guys were comfortable. It was odd to see Leah fit into this new niche she created for herself. She had become very motherly and was beginning to act like a house wife since she and Sam had gotten serious and were planning a wedding.

I would have never in a million years pictured Leah like this. She always used to beat up the boys and was the first one to jump in the mud or use bad language, but now there was this air of maturity about her.

I helped her finish cleaning dishes and she finally took a second and sat down at the table with me.

"Thanks for breakfast, Lee. I would have come earlier to help out but Jake didn't tell me we were coming over here. He didn't even wake me up until the last possible second," I laughed.

"It's okay. I've learned how to handle these boys on my own since you were gone."

"You always knew how to keep them in line," I commented.

"Ain't that the truth," she laughed. Then she changed the subject. "So what happened last night at the meeting? Sam didn't really give me all the details."

"Honestly, Lee," I began, "I don't even know. I was too far away from all the talking to actually hear what was going on. But I spoke to Alice and Edward quickly before we left."

"You talked to Alice and Edward!"

"Just for a minute."

"I bet Jake didn't like that much," she teased.

I shrugged my shoulders, not really wanting to get into the details of that relationship. "Well, I feel like I owed Alice. And the rest of the Cullens. But Alice had my back in New York, so I had to-"

"New York? Alice was in New York?"

I sighed. I guess Sam didn't explain everything to Leah. "What do you know about this whole situation Leah?"

"Not much, apparently. Sam just told me that this Tanya vamp wants Edward, but he said he's in love with you, so now she's out for your blood."

"Kind of. I mean, that's the main point anyway. Remember that time Jake got hurt fighting with Emmet because of that issue with the treaty line?"

"Yeah, I remember. What does that have to do with anything?" She asked.

"Well, Jake told me Edward was kind of taunting him, just saying stuff about our relationship that was not his business. So I went over to the Cullens to talk to Edward and while I was there, Tanya came out and saw me. I guess that's when she tried to get with Edward and he said he wasn't into her because he wanted me, or whatever he said to her."

"Wow."

"Yeah, tell me about it." I explained the rest of the story to Leah- James finding me in New York and Alice and Jasper coming to my rescue, seeing a vampire in the club and in the national park while on vacation with Jacob, all the way up until getting the phone call with Sam. I pretty much went over every detail of our trip also, from meeting Bree and Riley to being witnesses at Jane and Alec's wedding to finding an engagement ring in Jake's stuff. And she already knew about the pregnancy thing.

"I think that catches you up," I said to Leah.

"Whoa. You had a lot more going on then you let on, Bella."

I sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. I can't wait until this issue with Tanya is over and I don't have to worry about it anymore."

"That, and there's still the pregnancy question."

I groaned. "Oh, right. There's that."

Leah patted my hand, then stood up and brushed herself off. "We're going to get that taken care of today, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"A pregnancy test," she answered. "So we can find out for sure and you can stop going back and forth on the whole thing."

I sighed. "Okay, yeah."

"Can we take your truck?" Leah asked.

"Yeah, sure. Let me just get the keys from Jake." I sauntered back in the living room. Jared and Seth were awake now, and the whole pack was congregated together. Jake put out his hand and pulled me down on to his lap.

"What's up?" Jake asked me. I hadn't thought through what I was going to tell Jake – if I was going to let him know I was taking a pregnancy test or just tell him after. But I definitely did not want to announce it in front of the whole pack.

"I need the keys to my truck," I said.

Jake reached into his pocket and pulled the keys out into his palm, but closed his fingers over them before I could grab them. "Why?"

"I have to go somewhere with Leah," I mumbled.

"Where?"

"The store." I unsuccessfully tried to pry the keys from his large hands.

"For what?"

"Geez, Jacob, what are you her father or her boyfriend?" Leah called, coming into view. "We have to go to the store. Now give her the keys so we can go, please," she ordered.

"Leah, I can't have Bella out unprotected. Especially now, while we're waiting for word from the Cullens. What's so important anyway? Do you need to get it at this moment?" Jake asked.

"Since you must know, I ran out of tampons," Leah retorted.

I saw all the guys visibly cringe, and I burst out laughing. Oh, Leah. Whenever you didn't want to tell the truth, just say tampons and you would win.

"Damn, Leah!" Quil wailed. "Too much information!"

Jake groaned and handed over the keys. I sprung up before they could ask any more questions. I pecked Jacob on the cheek and dashed to Leah's side.

"Wait!" Jake called. "Take one of the guys with you please. Who wants to escort the girls to the store to get their. . . stuff?"

I sighed. "Is it really necessary?"

"Yes," Jake answered. "I would go, but I have to stay here right now. Embry, can you drive them, please?"

"What? No way, man. That's gross."

Leah answered because I could not stop laughing. "You don't have to touch them; just stay in the car."

He grumbled something under his breath and stood up, snatching the keys from my hand and leading us out the door.

Jacob caught up to me just before I was walking down the front steps and whisked me up into his arms. I laughed and swatted him playfully.

"I'm only going to be gone for ten minutes, Jacob, relax," I teased, even though it gave me butterflies to know he couldn't be without me.

He held my face to his while kissing me passionately and unashamed in front of our friends. I knew my cheeks were flushed red when he finally pulled away. "Love you," he said before trotting back inside.

"Are you done?" Leah asked with a roll of her eyes.

We ended up taking more of a trip than originally planned. The store on the reservation wasn't open yet, so we had to travel back into Forks. I was laying down in the seat, out of view of the windows, in case my mother or father happened to drive by. And then Embry reminded me that they would recognize my truck. Great.

We finally got to a store that was open and Leah hopped out of the car. She turned back around when she realized I wasn't following her.

"Well, come on we don't have all day," she said.

I fidgeted nervously with my hands. "Um, I thought you were going to get it."

She sighed. "Oh, Bella. Come on." She tugged on my hand and I followed her into the nearly empty store.

"Leah, everyone knows everyone in Forks. What if someone sees me?" I whispered loudly to her.

"Well, let's hurry up so that doesn't happen, okay?" She poked around in a few aisles before going down the one she wanted. I was ducking behind displays and sneaking around corners. Leah picked up a few different boxes and spread them out in front of her, debating.

"Does it matter? Just pick one!" I insisted.

"Alright, alright. Here," she said, shoving a rectangular pink box into my hands. I threw it back at her like it was on fire. "It's for you, isn't it?" She asked, placing it back in my hands and walking up to the register.

It only got worse when I realized that Mike Newton was the only employee working as cashier today. This can't be happening. I felt my face flush a deep red once again. Leah was already at the register, it definitely looked like it was for me. Well, it was for me. But Mike didn't need to know that. He, next to Jessica, was one of the biggest gossipers around. The whole town would know Bella Swan, Chief Swan's daughter, bought a pregnancy test today at the drug store. Ugh!

"Bella!" Mike called cheerfully as I neared the front register. I plastered on a smile and swiped a candy bar from one of the shelves so that I had something else to focus attention on. It didn't work. "How's your summer going?" He asked, completely unaware.

"Good, thanks Mike." I dropped my items on the counter and didn't make eye contact. Or I tried not to, at least. But it didn't work because I saw the moment Mike realized what he was ringing up and who was buying it. He looked at me with a curious and questioning expression and opened his mouth to say something, while fumbling with the box and blushing furiously.

"You know," Leah cut in, "if you don't mind, we're kind of in a hurry." I looked over at Leah who was making a show of crossing her legs and bouncing up and down. "You have to pee on that sticky thing there and I drank a gallon of water this morning and I really, really have to go. So if you don't mind, stop checking out my engaged friend here and ring us up so we can get out of here, 'cause I've got to piss like a racehorse."

I tried to hold myself back from either dying of laughter at Mike's shocked and embarrassed expression or falling to the ground and worshipping Leah. She just saved me from an epically awkward conversation. Sure, it hadn't slipped past my radar that she had told him I was engaged, but better word around town be that I was engaged than pregnant.

"Yeah, of course," Mike stuttered before rushing to hand us our bag and receipt.

"Thanks, hot stuff," Leah said, and winked at Mike blatantly before dragging me out of the store.

We both tumbled over in an uncontrollable hysteria of laughter once we left the store, bag in hand.

"Leah, I freaking love you!" I shouted and hugged her tightly.

She shrugged. "It's what I do, honey."

We hopped into the car and told Embry we got what we came for. He shuddered and wouldn't even look at the bag we had. Leah teased him and put it up to his face but he yelled and smacked it away. Okay, so maybe she didn't have that air of maturity that I had earlier thought.

We giggled the whole way home, mostly at Embry's expense. Poor Em, I would have to pay him back when this was all over somehow.

**A/N: I apologize for how short this chapter is! I'll post the next one as soon as possible so we can finally, finally get this moving. Please review! Favorite part? Did you like the Leah/Bella/Mike Newton scene? I hope you got a few laughs :)**

**Also- please click the link to my profile and vote in the poll about a name for Bella's restaurant!**


	42. Attack

**A/N: Next chapter up already ! :0 Couldn't keep you in all of this suspense - it's been going on for too long, now. A tremendous thank you to my loyal readers and reviewers! You're comments make me smile :). Also and FYI -Jacob doesn't have any sisters in this fic. **

**This chapter takes off where the last one left off.**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight. Directions ****for the pregnancy test were taken directly from First Response's website. Words in bold are taken from Eclipse, also by S. Meyer.**

CH 42 BPOV

We managed to dash up the stairs before the inquisition once we were back at Leah's. We sat cross legged on her floor while she pulled out the box and ripped it open.

She handed me the white stick and opened up the instructions. "Remove the test stick from the foil wrapper and take off the overcap," she read.

With shaky hands I unwrapped the stick and popped off the cap. My nerves came flooding back and I had a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach when I realized that this was real.

"Check," I confirmed with a dry throat once I had done the first step.

"Holding the test stick by the thumb grip with the absorbent tip pointing downward and the result window facing away from your body, place the absorbent tip in your urine stream for 5 seconds only," she continued. "Easy enough." She looked up at me. "Got it?"

"Uh, um. . .yeah, I guess."

"Okay. . .well, you know where the bathroom is. . ." She said, looking at me expectantly.

"I don't think I can do this," I admitted. "I'm scared."

Leah sighed but I knew it was sympathetically and not an exasperated sigh. "Bella, you have to find out sooner or later."

"I vote later," I said and handed her back the unused stick. She pushed it back into my palm gently.

Before she could say anything else we heard pounding footsteps rushing up the stairs. A look of panic washed over my face and my body took a moment to react. Leah grabbed the stick out of my hand and shoved it back in the box which she pushed underneath her bed. We looked up as Sam and Jacob barged into her bedroom breathless.

I stood up and Jacob rushed over to me, as did Sam to Leah.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Dr. Cullen called. Alice saw the coven from Denali. They're close now, apparently, and Alice saw that they're after you, but she says everything gets fuzzy since we're involved and she can't see anything else. We have to get there now," he said.

Every fiber in my body screamed at me to grab a hold of Jake and not let him go. It was too dangerous; it's risky, what if –

"I love you, Bella. I'll see you soon, okay? You and Leah have to stay here. Seth will be phased just outside the house, and we'll be able to hear him. You'll be safe, I promise."

"Jacob. . ."I whimpered. I didn't want to let him go. I couldn't watch him leave. Stress was flooding all of my nerves and thoughts.

Jake looked as desperate as I felt and he held me close to him for a moment before placing a deliberate kiss on my lips and heading out with Sam. Leah was a bit more collected then I was, but I could tell she was nervous as well.

We heard the pack disperse and rush out the door towards the woods and in the direction of the clearing, except for Seth.

"Poor Seth," Leah chuckled.

"Poor Seth? He has the best job! He gets to stay away from all the danger and all the action!" I insisted.

"Bella, think about what you just said. They're boys – they live for this stuff. You have no idea how excited the pack was to be actually doing something related to vampires. You know, they're obligation to protect the people and all of that."

"But Lee – this isn't some sort of joke. These vampires are out for my life. She wants me dead! She'll kill them just to get to me! And she knows I'm with Jake – what if she-"

Leah placed her hands firmly on my shoulders. "Bella. Stop." I took a few deep breaths and met her gaze. "Relax. Our boys are strong. They're determined. And hell, they're too damn prideful and stubborn to come back unless they win and they finish this. So stop worrying so much."

I nodded and we sat back down on the floor. Leah dug underneath her bed and pulled out the pregnancy test, but didn't take it back out of the box. Instead, she set in beside her and looked back up at me.

"I can't wait to be pregnant," she said softly after a moment. My expression must have been one of shock. "Just to know that there's a little life inside of you, which you've created and are going to raise and take care of - someone that will always need you and be a part of you."

"You've changed a lot, you know," I told her.

She laughed slightly. "I guess I have, huh?"

"Completely. Lee, you're like a million light years away from the person I met when I was six," I laughed.

She shrugged. "You just grow up and realize that the things you always looked for and strived for aren't as important anymore."

I did agree with her. There wasn't a day that went by in my childhood when I dreamed of big city lights and living at a dorm away from home and going to school for four years to find myself. And here I was, thinking about how crazy I would have to be to leave Jacob for four years.

"Remember that time Quil got us in trouble because we tried to lose him on that hiking trip?"

"Or that time in fifth grade when we painted Paul's toe nails pink while he was sleeping and when he saw it he didn't talk to us for a week?"

"What about when we prank called Quil and pretended to be that older girl that he had this huge crush on and he bragged about it for two weeks?"

"Those days were the best," I admitted.

"That they were. At least most of us have grown up since then." We were quiet for a moment, reminiscing, when Leah spoke again. "Do you ever think of having a family Bella?"

"I've thought about it. I can't say I have a clear answer, though."

"What would you do if you are pregnant?" She asked.

"Honestly, Lee, I don't even know. I can't have a baby right now. I'm too young – I have too many things to get done before I want to settle down and even talk about having kids."

"Has Jake said anything about it?"

"Yeah. I mean, he has a different opinion. He doesn't think it would be so bad if we had a baby. He said he wants to, and now is not the best time, but he said he would be happy about it. He wants kids."

She nodded. "I know. Jacob's always been about family. I think out of all of us, he and Sam grew up the fastest. You know how hard it was on him when his mom passed, and it's only been him and his father ever since. I can picture him with a big family – it just fits him, you know?"

As I thought about Leah's words a scene flashed through my mind. **I could see exactly as if I were looking through the filter of Jacob's thoughts. I could see Charlie and Renee mixed into a collage with Billy and the rest of La Push. I could see years passing, and meaning something as they passed, changing me. I could see the enormous red-brown wolf that I loved, always standing as protector if I needed him. I saw the bobbing heads of two small, black-haired children, running away from me into the familiar forest.**

I felt a tugging at my heart; feelings that I had never experienced bubbled up from inside of me. I felt a love for these unborn children of Jacob's and mine that I had only seen for a fleeting imaginary instant. I could feel the satisfaction of being a wife and a mother and living a seemingly uneventful life on the reservation, which was filled with laughter and family and friends and the pack. It made sense, and I understood why Jacob reasoned like he did about this possible pregnancy.

It didn't make me wish I was pregnant now, but it made me understand and crave this future that had just flashed through my mind.

I jumped when Leah interrupted my pattern of thought suddenly.

"Are you going to take the test or what?" She demanded. I debated for a moment- to have a definite answer within three minutes, or continue not knowing. I was too afraid to know.

I shook my head slowly. "Not right now."

"Well, I'm not going to let it go to waste." Leah hopped up and made her way to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her before I could pick my jaw up off the floor. Leah was going to take the pregnancy test? She thought she was pregnant too? And she hadn't said anything?

My mind was speeding at a hundred miles a minute and I couldn't form coherent thoughts. Questions about Leah and about babies and pregnancies almost overshadowed everything else, until I heard the one thing that made me focus immediately.

A long and strangled howl could be heard clearly from outside of the house. And this wasn't the kind of howl that was far off and distant –this was close to home. In fact, this was right outside the door.

Seth! Something must have happened! Jacob!

Adrenaline rushed through my body and stimulated every single nerve ending, causing me to jump up and bolt down the stairs without thinking twice. I almost swung the front door off its hinges trying to make my way outside.

I ran outside to search for Seth. I could hear him, but I couldn't see him. And then I saw something that made me back away instinctively until I couldn't walk backwards anymore.

Tanya.

I was frozen in place as I saw a familiar scene from that nightmare I had weeks ago play out on Leah's porch. I was corned against the back railing with no where to go. If I run, surely she would catch me, and if I scream, who would hear it? I couldn't risk Leah realizing I was gone and run out and try to help me.

I swallowed my scream and forced myself to be strong and stay quiet. She would do what she came here to do and it would end this whole mess.

She sauntered closer with an evil smirk on her face.

"Is-a-bella Swan," she said, pronouncing every syllable deliberately. "Well, well." It didn't escape my notice that she was looking me up and down like I was a meal to be devoured.

"You have quite the force protecting you, don't you? My poor family wasn't prepared for the Cullens to turn on us like they did, but Edward must have a much stronger affinity for you than I originally thought. How pathetic. We have no use for the human race. My sisters all agree with me – you cannot go on living knowing the secret that you do. Humans cannot know about our kind – it runs too much of a risk, wouldn't you agree? It makes the most sense that we are sure you will never have an opportunity to speak one word about us."

She was taking obvious moves toward me, slowly and defined, one by one.

"I've been waiting for this moment," she continued. "I didn't think I would be able to finish you myself, but it seems that I'm the only one able to bypass your little army. Soon, you will be just a memory in Edward's pretty little head, and he will have no reason not to love me." Tanya stopped once she was close enough that I could feel her cold breath on my skin, and it was sending a shiver down my spine.

"And then it will be my turn, finally, for my happy ending. You see, Edward and I are the only two out of our friendly circle who are not mated. And once you are out of the picture, I can have my happy ending, or happy forever, rather," she chuckled darkly.

Tanya pressed her red lips to my neck and I was immobile. I couldn't find the strength to lift an arm or push her away. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited.

**A/N: Ah! Another cliffie! Don't hate me ! Lol.. so leave me reviews, hate it? love it? What do you think about Bella's realization of what it would be like to have a family with Jake? Did you like the paragraph from Eclipse, did it fit? Is Leah preggers too? What happened to Seth? What's going to happen to Bella?**

**Please vote in the poll on my profile! "If Bella opened a restaurant, what would it be called?"**


	43. The Optimist

**A/N: WOW! I didn't realize how lazy I had been with updating this! A million apologies. This was hard to write, being that it's the final chapter of 'We Won't Be Seventeen Forever'. I thought I had another chapter or two left, but this is it. There will be an epilogue though, so we're not completely done with seeing this story play out. I hope this chapter is good enough to make up for my lack of posting :)**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters belong to S. Meyer.**

CH 43 BPOV

I squeezed my eyes shut and waited.

And then I got harassed by the voices in my head. What did I need to wait for? Put up a fight! Sure, this Tanya girl is a hundred times stronger than me, a hundred times faster than me, and a hundred times more pure evil than me, but I shouldn't just sit here and let her end this without a word, right?

Well, right or wrong, I did it anyway.

Leah's porch railing wasn't all that big, so in an unthought-out moment, I pushed against Tanya and swung my leg over the railing, and hopped down to the soft ground. I may have sprained my ankle in the process, but it bought me some time. Tanya's expression hardened and she recollected herself after the initial surprise of my comeback.

I swallowed, hoping my dry throat would go away. It didn't.

"Do you really think getting rid of me will solve all your problems?" I choked out. I was continuing to back away, surprised that she wasn't charging at me. Rather, she was following me slowing, stalking me.

"It won't, you know. Taking me out of the picture still isn't going to give you the fantasy you think you're gonna get. Edward doesn't love you now, and he won't love you if you do this."

I took a deep breath and did my best to channel Leah. She got quite feisty when she had to be, and I hoped some of that rubbed off on me, because I could use it now.

"Yes he will," she growled, getting closer.

"Why do you like him so much anyway? You really have that miserable a life that you have to come at me just because you don't have what you want? You still won't get what you want if you kill me! You still won't have Edward!"

I wasn't sure if I had made the best choice or not, or what the outcome would have been if I had just kept my mouth shut, but it wasn't important right now.

A few things happened at once. I saw a dark wolf speeding toward us, although I couldn't make out who it was. Tanya's expression grew lethal and she lunged at me. I saw only black as the air rushed out of my lungs when my back came in contact with the cold hard ground and a huge weight fell on my chest.

I was grasping for air and struggling to right myself. Loud howls and snarling were deafening me. A moment later, I was free of that heavy weight on my chest, although oxygen had yet to find its way in my lungs.

I heard loud shattering noises and a high pitched scream all before I could open my eyes. When the air finally came to me, I sat up too quickly, and my vision blurred. All I could make out was the fuzzy outlines of werewolves and the stiff stature of someone leaning over me.

"Bella? Bella. . . Bella?"

I waited for the dizziness to subside before attempting to open my eyes again. I felt Jacob's warm hands on my arm and heard his worried voice. I need to assure him I was okay.

I sat up slowly, coughing to shake the dust from my lungs.

"Bella?" Jake asked again, cautiously this time.

"I'm okay," I said as soon as words would come to me.

"Oh, thank God," he said quickly before enveloping me in a tight embrace.

"Easy, Jacob. We have to be sure she has no injuries." And that would be Dr. Cullen. Jake released me right away and Carlisle looked me over for wounds. I took in the scene around me.

The rest of the Cullen clan, minus Dr. Cullen, looked pensive and somber as their eyes were all focused on one thing – a blazing heap of fire. I could only assume that meant Tanya was stopped, and I quickly looked away. I counted heads of the pack to make sure no one had gotten hurt. Everyone was there.

Carlisle gave me the okay, and Jake helped me stand up. "What happened?" I croaked out.

Jacob was still holding me tightly to him as the pack around us continued their horror scene clean up.

"Tanya must have gotten past us somehow, and she pushed Seth aside so he was down for a little." I gasped and struggled to free myself and find him. I thought I had counted correctly. . .

"He's fine. Healed already. He's actually happy that he had his first broken bone," Jake chuckled. "Now he can catch up to the rest of us. I don't know how you ended up out here with that leech but Seth recovered quickly enough and knocked you both to the ground when she went at you. Then we all got here and . . . well, it's over."

I sighed a long sigh of relief. It was over. And everyone was safe.

Leah came bursting out the door, holding the pregnancy stick high above her head. "I'm not pregnant!" She shouted, before coming to a halt. Her eyes opened wide as she took in the scene in her front yard. No one said a word as we stared at her in shock.

"Um. . .when did you all get here?" She asked timidly, causing an uproar of laughter to explode from her audience. I couldn't help but laugh. Oh, Leah. How she had not noticed a war going on just outside her front door I have no clue.

Sam rushed over to her and placed a delicate kiss on her lips after squeezing her to his chest.

"You thought you were pregnant?" He asked.

Leah smiled and shrugged. "No. I just wanted to try it."

I rolled my eyes and tugged on Jake's hand until both of us made our way to the porch. "Leah, you are unbelievable."

"I know," she laughed. "So why wasn't I invited to the party?"

"Did you really not notice vampires and werewolves in your front yard?" I asked. She shrugged again. I pulled her inside while Jake and Sam went to talk to the Cullens.

"Did you even notice I was gone?" I laughed.

"Of course! But I thought you had gone downstairs or something to get a snack. I didn't think you were going to throw yourself in the middle of a war!"

I rolled my eyes again and impulsively squeezed her into a hug. The relief that this disaster is over was overwhelming.

Jacob and Sam, followed by the rest of the pack, stumbled inside a few moments later. I expected them to look spent after the day we all had, but they acted as if it was just another day.

Jake pulled me down onto his lap in the living room and rested his chin on my shoulder.

I wasn't sure what to say. It wasn't like this happened all the time.

"I saw we celebrate," Quil said, breaking the silence. "To taking down the crazy psycho stalker girlfriend and protecting our own. Bonfire?"

Everyone agreed and went our separate ways after setting a time for later. I gathered all my things in my truck and, although I was reluctant to leave Jacob, I headed home to see my parents. I would tell them I was home, act like we had just gotten back from the trip, jump in the shower and head back over to the reservation. Hopefully I could get some sleep in, too.

Both of my parents were home when I got there, evident by their cars in the driveway. My mother flung the front door open before I got to the front steps.

"Bella!" She exclaimed while gathering me into a tight hug. I had to admit that I had missed home, but I would never regret leaving and going on the road trip with Jake. "I didn't know you were coming home Bella, how was the trip?"

"It was really good. But Jake and I missed home, so we decided to come back a little bit early. I already dropped him off at Billy's."

My parents had a million questions for me and I showed them pictures of our trip. It was normal, something I hadn't experienced in a while. I liked the normalcy.

After my parents let me breathe a little, I collapsed on my bed and slept for a few hours, enough to be rejuvenated and gain some energy back. I took a relaxing shower and took my time blowing out my hair and picking out something to wear.

It was a good feeling, knowing that the 'war' was over, that there wasn't a vamp out for my life anymore. I still wasn't sure what had become of Tanya's family, the ones who had come with her, but the less I knew the better.

I felt like a weight had been lifted from my chest. At least a little bit. One problem was solved, but the question of pregnancy was still there. Regardless, I felt freer, and happier than I had in a while. I think it was optimism. No matter what happened, we could get through it.

I was just about done getting ready when my dad called me from downstairs. I peeked down the stairway to see what he wanted.

"Someone is at the door for you," he told me.

I froze for a second, on the edge of panic. Surely it couldn't be Tanya, I was positive of that. But I knew it wasn't anyone from the pack, and Jacob was at his house. Why would any of them come over now when I would be seeing them in less than an hour? My father was watching me expectantly.

I hoped down the steps, through the living room and to the front door and opened it cautiously. The person behind it took the breath from my throat. I almost wished it was Tanya instead.

"Hello, Bella. I didn't mean to surprise you like this," he apologized shyly.

"Um, yeah, no, it's okay," I stammered. "What's up Edward?"

"I'm sure I'm the last person you want to see right now, but I had to come to talk to you. Do you want to come outside?"

I didn't want to invite him in; my parents would be eavesdropping like little children, so I slipped out the door and shut it softly behind me.

"I'm actually on my way out, so. . ."

"I won't keep you long," he promised. "Bella, I want to offer you my sincere and eternal apologies for the whole mess we just went through. I can't take back my actions, but I won't forgive myself for putting you in danger like that. I had no idea Tanya had such strong. . .feelings for me and such intense ideas in her head. I would have never allowed this to happen."

I sighed. Were we really going to do this again? "Look, Edward. I appreciate your apology, but it's really, really not necessary. You just said yourself that you didn't know Tanya was crazy, er, I mean that she had such feelings. So stop apologizing. It's over, and we're all safe, thanks to you and your family and the pack, so there's no need to let this drag out. It's done."

"You have no idea how much that means to me, Bella. You are such a generous and forgiving person. I don't think I've ever met anyone nor will I ever meet anyone that can compare to you," he said sadly.

"Well thank you, Edward. You know, you're not so bad yourself," I teased, earning a small chuckle from him. "I think you're a good guy, at heart. In fact, I know you are, Edward. If you weren't, this situation would have gone down a lot differently. But you're the better person because even after I didn't return the feelings you have for me, you and your family protected me to the point of warring with a coven you were very close with. And that I will always be grateful for. Under different circumstances, I think we could be friends, and maybe one day we will be able to. But I don't feel for you the way you feel for me, and if I'm being frank with you, I never will. Because I'm one hundred percent in love with Jacob." There wasn't a hint of anger or hatred or disgust in my voice; I was being delicate and honest with Edward. I do think we could have been friends maybe in a different world, but I didn't want him to get the wrong idea.

"I know," he replied. "I wish I could know what it's like to have that."

"You will one day," I assured him.

He shrugged. "I don't see anyone else besides you, Bella."

"Love is a powerful thing. It changes people. Sometimes for the good and sometimes for worse. I can understand how you feel because I will never see anyone besides Jacob," I continued, "but you'll find her Edward. You'll find the woman who will share that love with you. You deserve it, and I know you'll find it. Don't let your ideas of loving me blind you from moving forward."

Edward smiled, and I would have given him a hug if it wouldn't have been so awkward. He thanked me, said goodbye, and drove off. I felt another sense of completeness – the vampire vs. werewolf thing was over, and hopefully Edward was done with pinning over me. I did genuinely feel that he would be happy eventually, but it wasn't going to be with me.

I went back inside the house and told my parents I was headed to the reservation for a welcome home bonfire with the gang. I ran upstairs to swipe my purse from my room.

And then I realized that I had gotten an answer to the final issue that was resting on my chest.

I called Leah once I was in my car a few minutes later. She answered on the first ring.

"What's up Bella? Are you on your way here? I'm trying to save this food for the bonfire, but the boys are pawing at it already. You'd better hurry up, I need some backup."

I laughed and once again felt that optimism and giddy feeling that things were going to work out.

"Can stress make your period late?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah, I think so, why?" I knew she was distracted because she wasn't paying much attention.

"Leah, I'm not pregnant!"

I heard her gasp and drop something in the background. "You're not? How do you know?"

"I got my period."

"Oh my God, Bella. Did you tell Jacob yet?"

"No. I'll tell him when I get there. In person. But I wanted to call you first."

Leah sighed in relief. "Well, that's good. Not that I'm happy you're not pregnant or anything, I mean I am, but you know I would have supported you either way."

"I know Lee," I laughed.

I got to the reservation just before dusk and met everyone on First Beach. I saw the beginning of the driftwood beginning to burn as the sun was setting and the water calmed. Jake jogged to the edge of the sand when he saw my truck.

"Hey," he smiled, placing a delicate kiss on my lips.

"Hey," I smiled back. He held an arm around my waist and we began to walk towards the rest of the pack.

"So I have something to tell you."

"What's that?" He asked, slowing up.

"I'm not pregnant."

"You're not?"

I shook my head. "Not right now. But maybe. . .maybe in a few years I will be." I looked up at Jake to gage his reaction. I thought he would be surprised, since this was pretty much a 180 from my attitude a few days ago. But while all of this was going on, I had decided that I wanted a family with Jacob. It just fit.

A wide grin spread across his face and I knew he liked what I just said. He took his arm from around my waist, faced me, and reached in his pocket.

"And maybe in a few years you'll also be my wife." Jake held his hand out to me revealing the silver engagement ring I found in his stuff a day before. Even in the dim lighting where we were, it sparkled. I laughed breathlessly and slipped it onto my finger before leaping into his arms and kissing him.

"I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too."

And then I thoroughly showed off my ring to everyone at around the fire. Leah squealed and hopped up and down when she saw it. "Oh my God, Bella! It's beautiful! I can't believe he got you this! We're both engaged! Can you believe it! This is awesome! C'mon! We have a wedding to plan! We have to look at dresses and get flowers and, oh! I better be your maid of honor! When were you planning on asking me? Have you told your parents yet? I bet they're gonna flip out. This is crazy! I remember when I first met you and now we're both getting married and-"

"Leah," I laughed. "Relax."

"Sorry. I got excited."

"No kidding."

**A/N: Sigh, the final chapter (before the epilouge). So there you have it- the answers to all of the suspense I put you through! Review, review, review! What did you think of Bella standing up to Tanya? Did we except the visit from Edward? Are we happy/unhappy with the pregnancy situation? Sorry there wasn't much Bella/Jacob in this, but the chapter wrote itself, so don't blame me! :o**

**Last chance to vote in the poll on my profile about a name for a restuarant if Bella owned one. So please vote! Keep an eye out for the epilogue!**


	44. Epilogue: Family

**A/N: Epilogue time ! This was so so hard to write - I don't want it to end :( I've had so much fun writing this story, and I hope the epilogue ties everything together, in a humorous way, of course. Hope you like it! **

**Thank you to everyone who voted for the name of a restaurant if Bella opened one. You will soon find out which the winner was. Thank you to all of you who entered names!**

**Disclaimer: S Meyer owns Twilight. I just borrowed the characters :)**

EPILOGUE BPOV

"Rachel!" I called, playfully swatting her with the dish towel I had in my hands. "Stop flirting; there are tables that need your attention," I teased.

She spun from her stance leaning over the counter to face me, her mouth forming an 'o' and a faint blush falling over her features.

"Mom!" She exclaimed, before quickly storming off into the back.

I heard Leah chuckling behind me. "You had to embarrass the poor girl like that?"

"She'll get over it," I laughed.

"My, my, when did you become such a stickler?" She teased.

"Since the girl starting giving me gray hair. I mean, seriously, Leah! She's barely fourteen years old, does she need to flirt like that?"

"You know Bella, I'm kind of offended," she said with a smile on her face.

"And why is that?"

"Well, she was flirting with my Sammy. Do you not want us to be in-laws?" Leah joked with feigned hurt.

"Yeah, like I would want my daughter to marry into your crazy family." I bent down to make sure the shelves were stocked before standing back up with a stretch.

"Very funny."

I walked back through the swinging door that separated the front counter from the kitchen, and Leah followed. This wasn't unusual –Friday afternoons were usually spent like this. A lot has changed since twenty years ago, but a lot stayed the same. The whole gang always crowded together in the Wolves' Den, literally.

I had grown my restaurant out of nothing. After a few years of culinary school, interning, and working for the pros, the little idea of opening a restaurant turned into a really big project. Construction went on for a few months, while everyone around me – the pack, my parents, Billy – all advertised and left me with high expectations to fulfill.

Wolves' Den was the diner, cafè, restaurant, and bakery located conveniently between Forks and La Push. What can I say- I had a hard time picking one theme. It was a casual, family place, which was always full of my family. It was hard to get rid of them, not that I ever tried.

It's been about five years that I've been on my own, running my own business. Of course, I can't take all the credit; I have wonderful people behind me who are the best support system I could ask for. Jake and I focused on our educations and our relationship while I commuted to Peninsula College and he finished high school. I studied hard and practiced a lot, which the pack was grateful for, since they were always my taste-testers.

It was Jacob who always pushed me to open my own restaurant. After getting a few years of experience under my belt, I decided that's what I would do. I took some time off when Jacob and I welcomed our two beautiful daughters into the world, but after that, all of my restaurant plans went into motion.

"Mom, Becka's in the way. She's just sitting there reading, again," Rachel sighed. I rolled my eyes. My two daughters may look related, but their personalities were from different worlds. My oldest daughter, Rebecca, at fifteen, is everything I was at fifteen. She has my light skin with my wavy hair, except it's the color of Jacob's. She's more on the reserved side, except when she's around her family. Her passion is reading -she's devoured my entire collection of classics twice already, and has lately been dabbling in writing some of her own stuff.

But Rachel inherited almost everything from Jacob. Besides inheriting his shiny black hair, in the form of long straight locks, his dark eyes, his knack for reading people, and his fierce loyalty and protectiveness towards her family, she also has his sense of humor –meaning she finds everything funny. She's outgoing and will be blunt and straightforward with you like nobody's business. Usually I am surprised at the things that come out of her mouth. And she is completely infatuated with Leah's oldest son, Sammy.

The girls grew up in this restaurant; they were about six and five, respectively, when it opened. When they were old enough, they helped out by waiting tables to earn some cash. Not that they ever wanted for anything. Hell, they probably had more money saved up than Jacob and I. And for that, I blame him.

Jake has a soft spot for his daughters like no other. One pout from either of them and he puts the world at their feet. I can't exactly blame him; in fact, I find it kind of endearing that he can't say no.

Rebecca sighed and closed her book, tucking it away on one of the shelves as Leah and I entered the kitchen.

"You know," Leah continued, "if I recall correctly, you were fourteen when you had your first kiss."

Both of the girls' eyes widened as they looked at me in shock.

I threw my hands in the air. "Thanks, Lee."

"No way," Rachel said.

"Hey, now don't get any ideas," I told her. "It was a dare!" I reminded Leah.

She shrugged. "A kiss is a kiss, Bella."

"Okay," I said, exasperated. "We're getting ready to close shop for the night. Leah, make yourself useful and pull out the decorations you brought. Girls, just finish up your last tables, please."

Tonight we were throwing a surprise anniversary party for my parents and Leah's parents. Their anniversaries were within a month of each other, although the years were different, but Leah and I decided it would be fun to collaborate and throw them a big party. I told my parents that I was hosting a fundraiser event for the girls' school at the restaurant, and they should bring along Harry and Sue, since their grandsons attending the school as well. They bought it, no questions asked.

I was cleaning up in the kitchen when I heard Rebecca squeal.

"Daddy!"

Leah, who was sitting on the counter in the kitchen popping appetizers into her mouth, leaned her head toward the doorway. "Your lover's here," she announced.

"Thanks," I laughed before swatting her off the counter. "How many times have I told you not to sit there? And stop eating all the food!"

She shrugged and walked out of the kitchen with a plate of appetizers. That would have to do for now; if I brought them all out now, there would be no food left for when the guests of honor arrived.

I heard the whole gang in the dining area. Leah and Sam, with their three sons: Sammy, Colin, and Brady. Leah got pregnant a few years after she and Sam married, with gave us Sammy. After my Rebecca was born, Leah and I both got knocked up again within a few months of each other, thus Rachel, 14, and Colin, 13. Four years later and she popped out another one, Brady. We always teased each other because she had all sons and I had all daughters.

Jared and Kim tied the knot eventually, a handful of years after Jake and I did. Paul was more of a loner, but he dated here and there. Claire went away to school once she graduated, so we passed Quil around to keep him company while he moped almost every day for four years. We still tease him about that, although he'll deny it to his last breath. They got married in a small, simple ceremony right on first beach, and now even had a young son, Benjamin. Sometimes it was hard to tell the age different between Quil and his son, since they pretty much acted the same.

Poor Seth – Leah intimidated the hell out of any girl that went near him, even now. Embry spent a few years at school studying architecture, but he couldn't stay away for long. He was engaged to his girlfriend Sarah, and he had a beautiful daughter Charlotte.

We had a pretty awesome family, if I'd say so myself.

"Hey beautiful," a familiar voice said from behind me.

"Hey," I said without turning around. I had to finish wiping down the counters, pull some food out of the oven, some out of the fridge, get out plates and silverware, and put the finishing touches on desserts, not to mention the main attraction, the cake.

Two warm arms wrapped around my waist and Jake's lips descended on my neck. I loved when he came up behind me and did that – it was one of those things that will never get old.

He twisted me in his arms so that I was facing him. I gave him a quick peck on the lips before attempting to move out of his arms and continue working.

"Why are you holed away in the kitchen?" He asked. "Everyone's here."

"Exactly. Everyone's here and I still have a lot to do, so if you'll just-"

Jake chuckled. "Relax, Bells. Don't stress yourself out." I sighed and let my body relax into his. "What do we have left to do? I'm here to help."

"I have to put out the dishes and silverware and set up the food table outside," I started.

"Done," he stated. I raised an eyebrow. "It's not like we don't know where anything is, baby. That's finished. What else?"

"The tables have to be arranged and all the decorations have to be put up. I told Leah to do that, but-"

"She did it. Check. Next?"

I frowned. "Well, I have to take out all the food and get that ready."

Jake let go of me and swiftly picked up an oven mit. Carefully he pulled out trays of food that were in the oven and gently placed them on the island in the kitchen. While he did that, I got out everything else we would need and placed it on the counter.

"There," he said, surveying our work with pride. "All done. Now, all that's left is for you to get dressed. You have. . ." he glanced at the clock behind him, "ten minutes until Charlie and Renee will be here with Sue and Harry."

For the first time, I noticed that Jacob was already dressed. I half expected him to show up in his greasy work clothes that I was so used to seeing him in when he was done with work at the auto shop, where he worked with Jared, Paul, and Quil.

"You're dressed," I pointed out.

He nodded. "Yeah, I told you we were closing up early so the guys and I could get home to clean up. Come on." He tugged at my hand and led me into my small office tucked away in the back of the restaurant.

My office was small, but big enough to fit an efficient sized desk and filing cabinets. Leah was the one who used it mostly; she helped me out with the business side of things – placing ingredient orders, making up menus, payroll, and things like that. Which meant the office wasn't as tidy as I would have liked.

I found my dress and shoes hanging on the back of the door that Leah had picked up at my house for me. I saw the girls' outfits were gone; they must have changed already, too. I was really behind.

Jake softly took the hanger out of my hand and hung it back up while kicking the door swiftly shut. I looked at him with a confused expression.

He shrugged before putting an arm around my waist and pulling me to him. "I missed you," he said.

I was surprised for a moment when he placed his lips on mine sweetly. "I missed you, too," I said when he pulled away.

One of his hands went to the back of my neck as he held me to him and kissed me again. He traced his tongue against my bottom lip and an involuntary whimper escaped from me.

He responded to that and his heated body ran flush with mine. He backed up a step and I was forced to move back with him until I felt my back against the office wall. He continued kissing me while one of his hands skillfully untied the strings that were holding my apron on. He slid a warm hand underneath my shirt and traced up and down the side of my stomach.

I fisted a hand in his hair and my hips pushed into his, moving against what my body was craving. He released me from the kiss to fulfill my lungs' demand for oxygen, but wasted no time in brushing my hair aside with his hand and finding the delicate skin of my neck, just underneath my jaw.

His lips and then his tongue caressed their way down to my shoulder and I shivered. Suddenly, his two hands cupped the back of my thighs and he brought them to lock around his waist.

I panted for air to gain my voice back. "I thought . . . I was supposed to be . . . getting dressed," I breathed.

I moaned when Jacob ground his hips harder into mine, and I could feel that he was just as turned on as I was.

"You are," he said. "I told you I was here to help."

I wasn't entirely following his train of thought. How is this helping?

"You have to take off your work clothes, don't you?" One of his arms held me securely around the waist as the other grabbed hold of the hem of my black tee-shirt and slid it up and over my head. He tossed it to the floor.

"I can definitely help you with that," he smirked. He attacked the button on my jeans until it finally cooperated and he tugged them off, setting me on the floor for a brief second so I could kick them the rest of the way off.

He took in my half-naked body with dark, heavy eyes and traced his hands up and down my thighs, venturing closer each time to the place that was begging for his touch.

I heard Leah's muffled voice through the door before it had time to register in my head that she sounded as if she was getting closer.

"Guys, where are you? The 'rents are almost here, they just-" She opened the door and froze for a moment before taking in our compromising position and slamming it shut. "Oops!"

My face flushed red with embarrassment and I pushed Jake off me as soon as the door was closed. He thought it was hilarious. I grumbled under my breath before snagging the dress off its hanger and pulling it haphazardly over my head before straightening it out over my body.

The dress was a simple, strapless black that fell to my knees. I slipped on wedge heels and swiped my hair up in a messy bun. I searched in one of the desk drawers while Jake adjusted himself. I kept my makeup minimal, as always, with just a touch of mascara, eyeliner and lip gloss.

"You look beautiful," Jake said.

I rolled my eyes at him.

"I'm complimenting you, Bella," he laughed, "you can at least be nice."

"Thank you," I smiled. He took my hand in his and led us out to the main dining area where the pack was all lounging.

The kids were at one table, my daughters talking with Leah's sons, and the younger kids like Benjamin and Charlotte tagging along. They were much like us when we were young, pretty much inseparable- where you found one, there were the others. Leah was sitting on Sam's lap, at a table with Paul, Jared, Kim, Quil, and Seth. Embry was peeking out the window looking for my parents' car. His girlfriend Sarah and Claire were making last minute adjustments to the décor. Jacob's father Billy was in attendance, along with Leah's cousin Emily and some of her extended family.

They noticed us emerging from the back. Sam whistled when we came out, and I couldn't look anyone in the eyes. No doubt Leah and her big mouth had told him what she walked in on.

The pack caught on and all began in cheers and applause, since they had all been waiting on us. Of course, Jake was booming with laughter.

"Finally! What took you so long?" Embry exclaimed, turning his attention away from the window.

I stammered, trying to come up with an answer, while Jake waggled his eyebrows, thinking I couldn't see. I smacked him on the arm.

"Jacob and Bella were busy making baby number three!" Leah shouted, breaking the pack into laughter and suggestive catcalls.

"Ew!" I heard Rebecca yell.

"Gross!" Rachel clasped her hands over her eyes.

Leah's timing had not gotten any better than twenty years ago, because she decided to yell that out just as our parents opened the door to the restaurant. Everyone grew silent.

"Um, surprise?" Quil choked out, trying to control his laughter.

Jake nudged me with his hip.

"Surprise!" We all yelled, not in unison at all, busting into complete and uncontrollable laughter.

Yep, that's my family.

**FINAL A/N: And there you have it! Please please please leave reviews! I'd really LOVE to get your feedback on this chapter/ending. Favorite part/line? Questions? Suggestions?**

**Lastly, I MUST give a big THANK YOU to you readers, for sticking with me since the beginning. I've had a lot of fun writing this and I hope you've enjoyed it :)**

**Put me on author alert - I have a bunch of other ideas swimming around in my head that I'm sure will be coming soon :) **


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